


when the moon met the sun in the sky

by RebelRebel



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Historical, Arranged Marriage, Childhood Friends, Childhood Sweethearts, F/M, Hayao Miyazaki, I Will Go Down With This Ship, Loss of Virginity, Miyazaki, Miyazaki-Inspired, Rating will go up, Samurai, Samurai Soup!!!, Samurai Soup?, Spirit World, The feudal Japan fantasy AU no one asked for, These kiddos have known each other since they were kids, Virgin Ben Solo, Virgin Rey, there will be smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-01
Updated: 2019-05-15
Packaged: 2019-05-16 17:36:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 15
Words: 46,818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14815809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RebelRebel/pseuds/RebelRebel
Summary: To survive the Sun Lands, the people ofIzaknew what they must do:...Remain completely covered, or risk your skin turning to ash....Do not drink water from the surface; drink only that which is pulled from the deep underground, cool and unspoiled by sunlight....Eat only which grows beneath the moon, and never accept food from Skywalkers....Fear the light, yes — but more importantly, fear those who walk freely in it.--When Kylo Ren emerged into daylight for the first time in years, he paid no heed to any of the warnings.He knew them all, but he wasn’t afraid of the light, or Skywalkers.He’d been one once, after all.





	1. ichi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My second Reylo WIP in a few weeks. Somehow, it's making me more productive. I'd love your feedback! Also, some explanation of terms at the end.

 

To survive the Sun Lands, the people of  _Iza_  knew what they must do:

 

...Remain completely covered, or risk your skin turning to ash.

...Do not drink water from the surface; drink only that which is pulled from the deep underground, cool and unspoiled by sunlight.

...Eat only which grows beneath the moon, and never accept food from Skywalkers.

...Fear the light, yes — but more importantly, fear those who walk freely in it.

 

\--

 

When Kylo Ren emerged into daylight for the first time in years, he paid no heed to any of the warnings.

He knew them all, but he wasn’t afraid of the light, or Skywalkers. 

He’d been one once, after all.

 

\--

 

Along with his fellow  _Sōhei Ronin_ , his skin was protected by his  _Tosei-gusoku_ , and his face by his  _Somen_.

The sun was just starting to fade behind the trees of the  _Taiheiyo_ ; Lady Dusk creeping her long fingers down the mountain to grasp the valley below in her brittle grip. He knew this gave his men courage. 

When the sun fell below the sparkling sea, and  _Tsukiyomi_  smiled down on them once more, Kylo finally spoke, his voice spilling from the lips of his mask in a deep rasp.

"Move out."

They followed him down the mountain path, swift and silent as a whisper on the summer breeze. 

No one in this village would see them coming.

Not that it mattered. They would slaughter anyone who tried to stop them.

Kylo motioned for his men to split ranks as they approached the first row of  _minkas_. He didn’t know which dwelling would hold the prize they sought; the Emperor had not been specific in his instruction.

_"You will find the Tesuji in the seaside village of Kaiyō, deep in the Eastern reach of the Asu Sun Lands."_  

Emperor Snoke did not expand further. He simply expected Kylo and his Red Blades to do his bidding. Promptly.

But that was what they were trained for.

In the heady hush of night, they stole forward amongst the modest homes, Kylo signaling them toward the village square. There stood the tallest structure in the entire settlement — a humble, two-story temple. It was the obvious choice to hide something valuable.

He beckoned his men past it, stopping in front of a lean-to meant for barely more than housing grain instead.

Kylo felt an insistent pull in his gut at the sight of the hovel. Firelight flickered across the bamboo shades that blocked those inside from view, promising life, and warmth, and the dancing red light all  _Iza_  people welcomed.

He stalked forward, his men shadows behind him.

Slowly, he raised a gloved hand to the door, pushing it open with a fingertip. It creaked open with a soft shudder. 

Inside was... a  _woman_.

She sat alone and unguarded, partially hidden behind the fire crackling in the center of the hut. From what he could make out behind his mask, she looked young, but it was difficult to be certain — tightly wound wraps the color of pearl covered almost every inch of her, obscuring any hint of skin. The only part she’d left exposed was the lower half of her face; hair and eyes hidden by a crude ivory  _men-yoroi_  of her own.

She was slight. She would be easy to take.

White teeth bit into her bottom lip, pink and full, as soon as she saw him enter. 

The pull in his gut suddenly overwhelmed all of his other senses; he felt a sudden, stabbing urge to rush toward her, but couldn’t explain why.

He didn’t listen to the compulsion. Instead, he stayed where he was, waiting while his men formed a pincer movement that would leave her unable to flee. 

She stood on trembling legs, but her arm was steady as she raised a long, wooden staff defensively between them.

“ _Oni_.”

He frowned at the insult but said nothing. He just surveyed her carefully, considering.

He couldn’t shake the feeling... 

No.  

He didn’t dare dream, not now. Not when work needed to be done. 

Not when dreams were for fools.

“The prize I’ve heard so much about.”

Her lips pulled into a fine line at the designation, and without warning, she struck Kylo’s nearest man hard in the belly with her staff, forcing the black-garbed warrior to his knees, gasping for breath.

The other Red Blades slunk forward in unison, barely making a sound, but Kylo extended a hand to halt them.

“You would kill me. Knowing nothing about me.”

“Why wouldn’t I kill you? I know about the  _Sōhei Ronin_.”

Her voice was fierce, which he expected. What he didn’t expect was how her defiance came to curl around the tugging in his stomach like a warm cat, soothing the ache.

Who was this girl? And, perhaps more unsettlingly, why did Snoke want her?

Kylo pressed forward, side-stepping the still blazing hearth. The girl lunged at him, raising her staff —

It slapped into his gloved hand, and he curled his fingers around it, pulling it gently from her before tossing it into the flames. With his other hand, he pointed his  _Tachi_  at her throat.

“Pull the division out. We have what we need.”

And with that, he sheathed his blade, seizing her slender wrist and pressing softly where he knew he needed to. She started to resist, but the touch of pressure had the intended effect — as soon as she tried to step toward him, she sagged forward, fainting. He moved forward swiftly, catching her under her knees and back before lifting her in a bridal carry.

He cradled her to his chest, trying not to think about how right he’d been — she was a slip of a thing, this girl — and followed his men back the way they’d come, the  _Ikkō-ikki_  none the wiser as to who’d just stolen their secret Princess.

 

— — —

 

_"I can't believe I'm stuck with her all summer."_

_"Ben! Don't say things like that," chided Leia, ruffling her son's mop of dark hair._

_The 10-year-old groaned pitifully, trying to duck out of reach from his mother's meddling hands. They stood outside in the gardens, soaking in the early summer sun as they waited for their guests to arrive. Ben was restless; he didn't want to be here, and he was hot, and he'd rather be in the shade practicing with his calligraphy set._

_"Patience, Ben. Your father and Uncle Luke are on their way, and the Shima chief — "_

_She stopped, cocking her head to the side. Ben heard it,_ too _— voices. From what he could make out, it sounded as if they were approaching through the southern entrance to gardens, near the orchard._

_"That must be them," his mother concluded, tugging him along, "Come; we'll meet them. Though I don't know why they decided to come in that way..."_

_She trailed off, half-dragging him along with her toward the grove of cherry blossoms planted in the Sun Palace gardens._

_He let her. When it came to Leia Organa, Hime of Asu, he didn't dare protest with more than a fat pout._

_After a few minutes, they turned into the right row. Just ahead, three men stood conversing under the shadow of an especially large tree; pink-dotted branches hanging low. The tallest of the men noted their approach and turned to greet them._  

_"Leia," said Han Solo, moving toward his wife. His face was uncharacteristically solemn. Next to him stood Ben's Uncle Luke, wrapped in his usual flowing robes and impassive as ever — though Ben noticed that his hands were clenched tightly around his middle._

_Ben didn't know the other man, but he immediately didn't like him. He was bulbous, and slow, and had beady, unkind eyes. Wary of the stranger, he hovered between his mother and father._

_Where was the girl?_

_"What is it?" asked Leia, surveying the men with a sharp eye. It was clear that she already sensed something was wrong; nothing escaped the royal's notice._  

_"Leia, this is — " started Han._  

_"Unkar Plutt," interrupted the bulbous man, inclining his head in the shortest bow Ben had ever seen, "It's my honor to meet you, Hime Leia Organa, guardian of Asu. I've come burdened with tragic news."_

_"What's happened?" Leia asked. "Where is Chief Kenobi?"_

_"Dead."_

_Silence stretched for a long moment, wan and windy enough to stir the blossoms overhead. Ben held still, alternating glances at his uncle, father, and mother. Luke had his head bowed, almost as if in prayer, while Han was looking at his wife._

_Leia, however, glared openly at the man called Plutt._  

_"So you say. What happened?"_

_"The monsoon, Princess."_

_"And their daughter?" she asked, voice cold._

_Plutt jerked his head behind him, and Ben finally saw her — a little girl, brown-haired and skinny, sitting on the ground a few trees away from them. She was drawing something with a stick in the dirt._

_At that exact moment, she looked up at him, meeting his dark eyes with her own; a warm golden brown threaded with green._

_Before he really knew what he was doing, his feet carried him toward her — away from his family, the man called Plutt, and their conversation. Snippets still reached his ears as he approached the girl, but he paid them no attention._

_"And who are you, exactly, Plutt?"_

_"Yes, we're very interested to know how no message proceeded your arrival, or how the Chief's daughter came into your care."_

_"I'm just a humble merchant, Princess. The monsoon claimed many lives; there was no one left to tend to the girl. I knew she was bound for your boy, of course, and wanted to ensure her safe arrival — "_

_"Out of the kindness of your heart, I'm sure."_

_Once he was next to her, Ben crouched down, staring at the girl's handiwork. Down in the dirt, she'd scratched one word..._

_REY._

_"Is that your name?"_

 

— — —

 

He waited hours for her to wake.

He didn’t know why. Perhaps it was because he couldn’t stomach the idea of her waking alone, a prisoner in this strange, scarlet city, to an unforgiving Emperor. 

He hadn’t taken her to Snoke. Not yet. Something itched at him not to. He would question her first — he wanted to know  _why_  Snoke wanted some peasant girl badly enough to risk the lives of his Red Blades in _Asu_. 

There had to be a reason.

Instead, he’d taken her to one of the more amenable holding cells; careful to bind her to a raised platform in the center of the dark room normally used for much more sinister purposes. 

She was thin enough that he worried she’d be able to wriggle her way out of her shackles, but still, he kept them fairly loose. He hated the idea of blemishing her skin.

He wanted to remove her mask, to see her face, but he didn’t. The thought of touching her without real reason made his stomach roil. 

When she finally arose, it was with a sharp gasp.

The endless black eyes of her mask found him kneeling in front of her. Even bowed before her, he still came up to her chin. 

“Where am I?”

Her voice betrayed her fear, and something foreign filled his heart. 

“You’re my guest.”

She spat in his direction, and the feeling intensified.

“Where are the others?”

He raised a brow, but of course, she couldn’t see it.

“You mean the murderers, traitors, and thieves you call friends? You'll be relieved to hear I have no idea."

The woman's lips formed a deep frown, but she said nothing.  

"Why does Snoke want you?" 

"Shouldn't you know the answer to that?"

At that, he rose, drawing closer to her.

"You. A  _nōmin_."

The words twisted out of his mouth like something sour, and she raised her chin at the implication. He towered over her now but somehow felt small under her gaze. 

He leaned in closer.

"You know I can take whatever I want."

She turned her face away from him.  

"You've been so lonely," he murmured, raising a hand to her cloth-covered cheek. It hovered there; he still didn't dare touch her, but he couldn't stop himself from leaning even closer, his breath grazing her chin. "So afraid to leave. At night, desperate to sleep, you'd imagine an ocean. I can see it... I can see the island."

"I'm not giving you anything," she said, head shifting back toward him. There was something in her voice, then, that made his heart stir with memory. And  _longing_.

"We'll see," he assured her, dropping his hand and pulling back. She was breathing roughly now, but again, she didn't speak.

"Don't be afraid,” he murmured, “I feel it, too."

"You know nothing," she growled, baring her teeth. 

"You still want to kill me."

She snarled at him then, ripping the mask off her face with her free hand.

Kylo's heart was a dark drumbeat in his chest; painful,  _searing_  as he took in her features — tanned skin, dark hair, and large brown eyes dotted with green.

Eyes he would recognize anywhere, no matter how much time had passed.

"That happens when you're being hunted by a creature in a mask," she hissed.

Behind his own _Somen_ , Kylo's eyes were wide as he looked at a girl he'd thought long dead. 

"It  _is_  you."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> || NOTES
> 
>  _Iza_ — The nation and people of Iza in this story are inspired by Izanami, a primordial goddess and personification of the Earth and darkness in Japanese Shinto mythology.
> 
>  _Sōhei_ — Historically, they were elite Buddhist warrior monks in feudal Japan. In this story, Kylo and his knights are a combination of Sōhei and Ronin; fanatical religious warriors who are similar to Samurai but serve the Emperor (Snoke), not the Shogun.
> 
>  _Ronin_ — See above. Historically, the Ronin were samurai without masters, similar to mercenaries.
> 
>  _Tosei-gusoku_ — Samurai armor.
> 
>  _Somen_ — A samurai mask that covers your whole face.
> 
>  _Taiheiyo_ — Evergreen forests in Japan, but the forest in this story will be a bit different... Stay tuned!
> 
>  _Tsukiyomi_ — The moon god in Shinto and Japanese mythology.
> 
>  _Minkas_ — A type of Japanese farmhouse.
> 
>  _Tesuji_ — A Japanese term used in the games of Go or shogi. A tesuji is a clever play, the best play in a local position, a skillful move.
> 
>  _Kaiyō_ — A word for "ocean" in Japanese. 
> 
> _Asu_ — The nation and people of Asu in this story are inspired by Amaterasu, sun goddess and ruler of the Plain of Heaven in Japanese Shinto mythology.
> 
>  _Men-yoroi_ — Another word for Samurai masks; Rey's would be considered a menpo, covering only half of her face.
> 
>  _Oni_ — A demon spirit in Japan.
> 
>  _Tachi_ — A Japanese sword worn by the samurai class of feudal Japan.
> 
>  _Ikkō-ikki_ — In history, they were Jodo-Shinshu Buddhist warriors in feudal Japan who believed in salvation for all humanity. For the purpose of this story, they are the closest thing resembling the Jedi.
> 
>  _Shima_ — A word for "island" in Japanese.
> 
>  _Hime_ — A word for "Princess" in Japanese.
> 
>  _Nōmin_ — A word for "peasant" in Japanese.
> 
> — — —
> 
> Seriously, this is my second Reylo fic ever, but I'm pretty pumped about it, so I hope you are too! I'm planning on updating at least every other week, and updating my other fluff Reylo WIP, "This is the Sign You've Been Looking For" on the alternating weeks.
> 
> Would love your feedback, and if you enjoy, please leave a comment and/or subscribe! :) Come say hi on [Tumblr](http://rebelrebelreylo.tumblr.com/) or [Twitter](https://twitter.com/rebelrebelreylo) @rebelrebelreylo.
> 
> Check out the playlist for this fic [here](https://open.spotify.com/user/jct1dm8alp830w7tcgg635ujj/playlist/02POQ0A4nSLOghKF22AUjh).


	2. ni

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "An alliance?" Daringly, Kylo raised his eyes to the Emperor's again, despite his fear at what he would find there.
> 
> Snoke smiled.
> 
> "She will make a beautiful bride. Now, Kylo — bring her to me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Here's Chapter 2. I'm tentatively saying this will be at least 15 chapters, but it may get bigger. For now, I'll be sticking to my bi-weekly schedule for updates, but I'm going on vacation soon so I'm hoping to stockpile some chapters for this fic and my other WIP. 
> 
> Thanks so much for your support; I appreciate it! And shout-out to my pal [avidvampirehunter](https://archiveofourown.org/users/avidvampirehunter/pseuds/avidvampirehunter/works), who is just generally awesome and amazingly talented and always there to listen to my old lady nonsense.

 

It was Rey. 

_Rey_.

Kylo’s heart seized with panic and elation and disbelief, but the hard truth sat in front of him, snarling.

The girl. The  _Tesuji_. It was  _Rey_.

A grunt of pain. He shook his head; dizzy. He looked at her, still shackled in front of him, and she was looking at him like she didn’t know him — she looked confused, still angry, but more like he’d gone mad, and hadn’t he? Hadn’t he?

Somehow, it was  _Rey_.

He needed air. 

Another grunt of pain as his back hit the wall again, hard. 

Oh. The noises were his.

Rey said nothing. She just stared at him, not seeing him at all, and he couldn’t breathe.

He tore from the room, away from her — away from her ghost.

 

— — —

 

_"Leave me alone."_

_"Please, Ben? I'm_ bored _."_

_Ben huffed, trying to ignore Rey's needling voice. She'd taken to doing this daily; always when he was reading._

_"No. I'm studying."_

_"I know why you don't want to, you know."_

_He ignored her, but she kept at it, circling him where he sat in his mother's study as he tried to bury his nose deeper and deeper into one of his Uncle's books._

_"You're_ scared _."_

_"Am not," he grumbled, losing his place. He frowned, turning the page anyway._

_"Are too. You know I'll beat you."_

_"Am not!" he shouted, slamming his book shut. He glared at her. Even though she stood across from where he sat at his mother's desk, they were still at eye level. He was glad she was shorter than him._

_She was smirking; giddy triumph dancing in hazel eyes he hated._

_"Then prove it," she dared him, jutting out her pointy chin. He stood, scowling at her._

_"Fine," he said, "I just didn't want to make a little girl cry. But you wouldn't leave me alone."_

_She stuck her tongue out at him, then bounced out of the room like a butterfly. Grudgingly, Ben followed her, sure to drag his feet the entire way to the palace courtyard._

_Once outside, he saw that she’d grabbed her weapon of choice: a long, stabby stick she loved poking him with. When they weren’t play-fighting, anyway._

_“Real Skywalkers don’t fight with sticks, you know,” he said, matter-of-fact. He liked telling her how silly she always was. Someone had to._

_“I have to practice with something,” she countered, cheeks flushing bright red. She swung the stick in the air, making a swooshing sound, but he was still out of her reach._

_Ben smirked back at her and searched the grounds; finally, he spotted where he’d left his own practice Tachi._

_He didn’t really love fighting, but his Father and Uncle said it was important for the Ōji to be a good warrior._

_“Ready?” he taunted, picking up the polished wood and twirling it in his hands. He only barely managed not to drop it, but she didn’t know that._

_Or, maybe she did. She was looking at him knowingly, the glee in her bright eyes back in full force. He felt his ears get hot. He grimaced._

_“I’m always ready!” Rey shouted, slashing her stick through the air again._

_Ben sunk into his opening stance; all knobby knees and gangly limbs — no matter that he practiced every morning with his Uncle Luke._

_“Are you ready, Nioi?" Rey taunted._

_Ben lunged forward, hoping to bat Rey’s stick down until she gave up, but she was too fast for him, darting out of his reach._

_He stumbled over his own feet, arms windmilling as he tried to find his balance, and he felt a sharp stab in his back._

_“Gotcha! 1, 0, Solo.”_

_Ben spun to meet her, baring down with his play-sword and pushing her back, heels digging in the dirt. Her tiny face twisted with the effort of keeping him at bay; teeth grit in determination._

_He panted, still pushing. Her speed and size were good for dodging him, but he was bigger. And stronger._

_Her feet were slipping, but so was his grip. Just a few more inches and he’d finally beat her — because he’d always let her win before, of course. He wasn’t mean. He didn’t want to hurt a little orphan girl’s feelings, even when she was as annoying as Rey._

_“What in Amaterasu's name do you two think you’re doing?”_

_The voice boomed across the gardens, and the two children sprang apart, shrinking under the sound._

_Luke Skywalker strode toward them, clad in heavy robes and wearing a stern face. Guiltily, both children looked at their feet; Ben futilely hiding his Tachi behind his back, while Rey let her stick dangle._

_"Ben, Ben, Ben," drawled Luke, watching his nephew closely. "I've never seen you this fierce when you and I practice. You know better than this, Nephew. Sparring is dangerous and Rey is untrained. You could have hurt her."_

_Ben's head hung lower, and his ears turned visibly pink under his mop of dark hair._

_"I'm sorry, Uncle, I — "_

_"It wasn't Ben's idea!" said Rey, tinny voice ringing throughout the courtyard. Luke looked at her; fixing her with a calculating eye. She clutched her stick tighter, jaw set._

_"Speak, child," Luke murmured._

_Rey huffed at that — she was a big girl; almost eight, after all — but chose to ignore it._

_"I made Ben practice with me," she explained, glaring at the old Master. "No one else will."_

_"That is the custom, Rey. Little girls do not become Skywalkers."_

_"Well that's just stupid," she spat, tiny face contorting with anger._

_Luke's beard twitched, and something akin to amusement seemed to sparkle in his bright blue eyes._

_"I'll take that into consideration for the future, Rey."_

_He raised an eyebrow at them both._

_"Well, carry on. But be careful she doesn't completely embarrass you, Ben."_

_And then, Luke Skywalker did something Ben hadn't thought he was even capable of — he winked._

 

— — —

 

When the man in the black had gone, Rey let out a shaky breath, trying to collect herself. She knew she had to stay calm if she had any hope of getting out of here alive. 

Carefully, she cataloged the room the best she could, squinting in the spare light. From what she could see, the man in black had bound her to a raised platform in the center of the dark room; though she didn't understand why he'd only shackled her left wrist and right foot. Was it some sort of  _Iza_  superstition? 

She didn't know, but she was grateful. It was the mistake that would allow her to escape, as long as she was quick enough.

She'd ripped her mask off to make a point to the monster in black, yes; but also so she could reach up into her tightly pinned hair and — 

_There_.

Using her right hand, she plucked a hairpin from her scalp, thrust it into the cold iron circling her other wrist, and started to work herself free. 

 

— — —

 

_It was autumn, and Rey was leaving._

_Ben glared at Unkar Plutt as the bloated man spoke with his parents and uncle, words as slick and black as lamp oil._

_Rey hovered close by, face filled with a sweet sadness, and Ben suddenly didn't mind that she always managed to annoy him. She was just a little girl, after all. Maybe he should've been nicer to her._

_"Don't worry," he whispered in her ear, small hand resting on her shoulder. "You'll be back. It'll be summer again before you know it."_

_A soft smile split her face._

_"I'll miss you, Nioi."_

 

— — —

 

He couldn't take her to Snoke. 

He was pacing the length of his room, footfalls heavy with terror, breathing roughly and trying to master himself. 

He was failing.

He couldn’t take her to Snoke, but he had to. He was already late.

Shaking, he raised his hands to his face, fingers grazing the cold metal. After ensuring that his  _Somen_  was still secure, he made himself stalk from his room and up to the Emperor's receiving room.

Where he knew Snoke was waiting. 

He moved swiftly and silently through the dark halls of the  _Shiro_ ** _,_**  red flames licking the lines of his masked face. Finally, he came to a set of familiar doors, gleaming crimson in the gloom and flanked by red guards on either side.

Both guards bowed deeply before the Master of the  _Sōhei Ronin_ , and the doors swung open to admit him.

"You're late."

The cold, deep bass of Emperor Snoke's voice felt like an assault on Kylo's skin, and he was thankful he'd left none exposed.

Calmly, purposefully, he marched the length of the long hall, stopping to kneel, and then bow,  _deeply_ , in front of Snoke's throne — a raised dais of red salt and stone. 

“Apologies, my Emperor. I was detained.”

Above him, Snoke sniffed; as if he could smell Kylo’s turmoil, rotting and stifling in the still air. He was an old man, cursed with a face that served as a cruel reminder of how time marks us all; sunken, gaunt, decrepit. It only made him more menacing.  

“There’s been an awakening. Have you felt it?"

Kylo didn't respond. On the ground, he curled his fingers into fists, digging his nails deep into his palms. 

"You saw fit to question the girl.”

It wasn't a question. Kylo still nodded, nose nearly scraping the floor.

"What did you learn of my  _Tesuji_?"

Kylo raised his head, finally meeting the man's eyes. They were so cold and so blue that they looked frozen; glittering with a mirth Kylo didn't share. 

"She is Rey Kenobi, of the Shima tribe."

It felt as if the words cost him his tongue; his  _mind_. Rey.  _Rey_. How could she be Rey? 

"Yes," sighed Snoke, pleasure pouring from his putrid lips, "Heir to the Shima stronghold, and very much  _alive_."

"What will you do to her? 

The words came out before Kylo could recall them; words of a heartsick child. It was all he could do to banish the tears burning the corners of his eyes as he stared back at the stone floor.

Snoke tapped long, spider-like fingers on the arm of his throne, considering the back of Kylo's neck.

"An alliance, of course. Shima will win us this endless war against the Sun Lands, and finally, rid these plains of all who worship a false god."

"An alliance?" Daringly, Kylo raised his eyes to the Emperor's again, despite his fear at what he would find there.

Snoke smiled.

"She will make a beautiful bride. Now, Kylo — bring her to me."  

 

— — —

 

Fear gripped Rey as she snuck, stealthily as possible, through the dark passages of the Red Palace. She would've liked to wait until morning to mount her escape, but she had to take advantage of the madman in black's foolishness.

Besides — she wasn't afraid of the night. Not like the  _Iza_  feared daylight.

She breathed easier as she stole through corridor after corridor, crouching in the shadows when she heard any sound. Somehow, she only saw a few sentries; no one else, and they were easily avoided. In the distance, she heard the bustle of the Night City, but she paid it no heed. She'd deal with that once she managed to get outside of Snoke's fortress. 

She had no way of knowing which way was the right way, but she trusted that she'd find an exit. Somehow. 

 

— — —

 

Confusion burrowed in Kylo's chest to rot, splitting his skin from the inside out. He stood on the precipice of something; frozen with indecision outside of the door to Rey's cell. 

She was  _Rey_ , and he was —

He was... 

He swallowed, his throat barely working. He raised a shaking hand to his face, touching his Somen with gloved fingertips, and a jolt of realization shot through him like lightning.

He was still wearing his mask. 

Of course, she hadn't known him —  _he was still wearing his mask._

Still trembling, he lifted the metal mask from his face, tucking the helm underneath his left arm. The cool, summer air kissed his bare skin, and he gulped it in, greedily, as if his lungs had never tasted something so sweet, before he pushed open the door.

“No,” he murmured.

The room was empty.

With a roar, he drew his blade and cut everything in sight to ribbons.

 

— — —

 

Rey was close; she knew it. Her trusty nose had picked up brine and fish, muddled with the savory scent of roasting pork and freshly steamed rice. It was enough to make her mouth water.

Food meant kitchens, and kitchens were usually on the ground level; easier to receive deliveries from local  _Nōka_.

She followed the intoxicating smells, anxiety creeping up the back of her neck with phantom fingers as her stomach rumbled, loudly.  

When she finally found the kitchens, she had to take tremendous care not to get caught in the hustle and bustle of servants blowing in and out of a set of double doors centered in a long hallway. Just on the other side, there looked to be an exit. Lantern light speckled and danced across the floor where the door stood ajar. 

Rey’s eyes widened at the discovery. Carefully, she extricated herself from her hiding place — behind a large drum of rice placed off to the side of the doors — and slid her way down the corridor, quiet as she could.

A few more strides and she would be free. She just had to take a few more steps...

The door swung open with a loud THUD, forcing Rey to jump back. Before she could dart away, two men crossed the threshold, framed in firelight.

The instant panic she’d felt fell away, and Rey  _beamed_. 

“Han? Finn?”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> || NOTES
> 
>  _Ōji_ — A word for "prince" in Japanese.
> 
>  _Nioi_ — A word for "smelly" in Japanese. (Ash, this is for you! ;) )
> 
>  _Amaterasu_ — Sun goddess and ruler of the Plain of Heaven in Japanese Shinto mythology.
> 
>  _Shiro_ — A type of castle in Japan.
> 
>  _Nōka_ — A word for "farmer" in Japanese.
> 
> — — —
> 
> You know one of the best things about AO3? That lovely Subscribe button! ;) If you like where this fic is headed, you should probably hit it. :) 
> 
> For real, though, your support in the form of kudos, comments, etc. spurs me on. Thank you!
> 
> Come say hi on[Tumblr](http://rebelrebelreylo.tumblr.com/) or [Twitter](https://twitter.com/rebelrebelreylo) @rebelrebelreylo.
> 
> Check out the playlist for this fic [here](https://open.spotify.com/user/jct1dm8alp830w7tcgg635ujj/playlist/02POQ0A4nSLOghKF22AUjh).
> 
> Thanks again and happy (early) Father's Day!


	3. san

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He emerged from the shadows — like the fingertips of winter, creeping over the earth at a heady pace, stealing warmth, and breath, and sunlight.
> 
> The masked man in black... His son. 
> 
> Ben.
> 
> "Traitor,” murmured the man now called Kylo Ren, pointing his blade directly at his father's heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No flashbacks this chapter; we're totally in the present.

"Han? Finn?" Rey asked, disbelieving. 

But there they were. Somehow, they'd stolen straight into Snoke's palace, bypassing an entire city of  _Iza_  zealots without so much as a scratch. 

"Rey, thank  _Amaterasu_!" breathed Finn.

She rushed forward to embrace both men. Finn hugged her, tightly, but Han stopped her from wrapping her arms around his aging frame and held her back by her shoulders, giving her a once-over. His eyes — hazel, like hers, even though she wasn't lucky enough to call him  _Otōsan_ , not truly — were pensive.   

"Glad you're still in one piece," he said, gruffly. Then, he pressed her to him, kissing her forehead the way a father would. "We're lucky we found you,  _Sakura_."

"Lucky, or brave, or very, very stupid," she agreed, her words muffled by his tunic. She pulled away, looking between both of them. "How on earth did you manage to get here?"

"Easy," said Finn, grinning, "We just waited until nightfall, then made sure to skulk here wearing lots of red and black." He winked, and Rey rolled her eyes. 

"Through the  _Taiheiyo_ ," said Han, ushering her and Finn out the door. "Come on, we don't have much time for a reunion."

Her eyes widened in shock.

“Are you  _mad_?” she hissed. Han and Finn exchanged a look but ignored her question. Reluctantly, she followed them into the dark alley.

"You didn't bring Hago?" she asked. From what she could tell, they were on the south side of Snoke's palace; up ahead, due East, shone the red lights of the bustling Night City.

"We did," said Finn, "He's in the forest, waiting for us."

"He might've drawn a little too much attention," said Han, grabbing her tightly as they started to trek up the alley, away from the lights and the noise, and towards the dark trees.  

“Han,  _no_ ,” she started, but he cut her off.

"It's the only way," he said, voice hard. 

"We're sticking to the perimeter, Rey," Finn said, soothingly, "Hago is waiting for us just past the tree line. We just need to make it down to the docks; clear on the other side of the city. See?"

He gestured to the north, where the night touched the rippling sea in soft waves, and the red lights from the city skimmed the surface of the water.

He was right — from their current vantage point between the Night City and its wild woods, she could see how they would be able to skirt around Snoke's castle, keeping to the shallow trees, and emerge near port. 

"All right," she breathed. "All right. If we stick to the perimeter."

"This isn't my first time rescuing a Princess," grumbled Han. He let go of her arm and allowed her to walk freely between him and Finn. 

Rey rolled her eyes again, trudging along behind him; Finn following her and watching their backs as they moved as swiftly and silently as possible.

She only hoped that none of Snoke's  _Sōhei Ronin_  were lurking in the shadows of the trees. 

After a few minutes of walking, long cloaks whispering against the ground, Han stilled, holding out a hand behind him to stop her, too. 

"Hago," he murmured. Rey peered around him, seeing amber eyes shining out of the darkness.

She smiled and rushed forward, wrapping her arms around the massive wolf's neck, reveling in his warm brown fur and the way he smelled; like firelight, and the forests of Shima, and the gentle rain. The beast let out a loud, wet huff; his nose dipping down behind her back as a way of returning her embrace.

The last time she'd seen him, she'd still been a girl, too small to reach her hands all the way around his neck. Tears burned at the corners of her eyes at the realization.

"He missed you," said Han, coming toward the pair. Gently, he pried Rey from the beast, patting him on the side of his face.

"I missed him, too," she said, throatily. "Please, Han. Don't take me back there. I want to go home."

Han looked at her, but made no promises. Behind her, Finn placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing.

“Let’s keep moving. Rey, up.”

Rey bowed her head, then let Han help her onto Hago’s back. 

As far as she was concerned, the conversation wasn’t over. She knew they would all return to the capital before she was sent anywhere. 

She’d have her chance.

They stole through the trees like ghosts; hidden away by the dense foliage, and Rey tried not to jump at every twitch in the stillness. Underneath her, Hago was warm. She clutched at his fur to keep herself in control of her fear.

It took nearly a full half hour to round Snoke’s fortress and come to the other side, where a long, winding bridge crossed over the river that was eaten by the sea. Squinting, Rey could just make out small boats swaying in the swirl, all tied to wooden posts.

“Time to go,” said Han, glancing behind them, then back at the bridge. There was no one. All was still; the humid summer air stiflingly so.

“What about Hago?” asked Rey, sliding down from her spot atop the beast's back. There was no way he would fit in any of those  _wasen_. 

“He’ll find us,” Han said, raising both hands to either side of the wolf’s long face. He peered into the beast’s ageless eyes, his own crinkling at the sides. “You’ll go through the forest, eh, fuzzball?”

The wolf lowered his head, almost like a nod, then padded away, deeper into the forest that was once his home. It took almost no time at all for the darkness to swallow him whole.

Rey turned to Finn, pulling him into another hug.

“Thank you,” she murmured into his neck.

“I’m coming with you, you know,” he chuckled. “By the way, I didn’t think to ask — how did  _you_  get away from K— ”

“Escape now, hug later,” groused Han.

The two friends broke apart just as they all heard it: the cold, shrill sound of a  _Tachi_  being drawn.

“Go,” said Han. He didn’t shout; he was calm,  _too_  calm. “Finn; take her and go.”

“But — ”

“Go,  _now_.”

Han’s voice was dark with intention; with resolve, and so Rey let Finn pull her toward the bridge; toward their escape. 

Anticipation prickled the back of Han's neck, but he held his ground. He didn't draw his own  _Tachi_ ; he didn't dare. It would serve no purpose. He knew what was coming.

He knew  _who_  was coming.

“She belongs to me.”

He emerged from the shadows — like the fingertips of winter, creeping over the earth at a heady pace, stealing warmth, and breath, and sunlight.

The masked man in black... His son. 

_Ben._

"Traitor,” murmured the man now called Kylo Ren, pointing his blade directly at his father's heart. 

"Ben," said Han.

Han knew him, but at the same time, he didn't. For this, he felt shame lick every inch of his aching bones, and he wondered if he could still reach the little boy somewhere inside. This creature was a ghost of his son, a boy now grown into a twisted wraith of a man; shrouded in black death from head to toe. 

Even so, Han knew that behind the dead eyes of his  _Somen_ , Ben's eyes were still there. Brown, like his mother's, and very much alive. 

"Take off that mask. You don't need it."

It was almost imperceptible, even to Han's bowman's eye, but he  _did_  see it: Ben's arm wavered; his blade shaking ever so slightly.

"What do you think you'll see if I do?"

"The face of my son," Han said, infusing his words with a pride he wanted, desperately, to feel. 

Ben didn't move. His mask remained. 

"Your son... is gone," said Ben, "He was weak and foolish, like his father. So I destroyed him."

Han didn't flinch. Instead, he took a step closer, closing some of the distance between them.  

"That's what Snoke wants you to believe. But it's not true," countered Han. "My son is  _alive_."

"No."

Ben's voice was so different, now. The darkness surrounded it, making it heavy and hard and terrifyingly sad. Han wanted to reach for him, to hold his broken boy in his arms, but he didn't. 

He had already done enough damage.

"The Emperor is wise."

Han bristled at that.

"Snoke is using you for your power. When he gets what he wants, he'll crush you. You know it's true."

He took another step, then another. If Ben lunged forward, he would strike him with ease; they were only a few feet apart, now — two of the same blood, singing very different songs.

"It's too late." 

The words came out a whisper, and Ben's grip slackened, his  _Tachi_  falling to his side. 

"No, it's not," argued Han. He felt like he had years ago when he'd taught a stubborn boy how to skip stones across the river, unrelenting until they got it right. "Leave here with me. Come home."

"...We miss you."

Behind his mask, Ben sucked in a sharp breath, one that pierced his father's heart. The arm holding his blade shook. 

"Do you?" he asked, voice still a whisper on the wind. "I don't see how you could. Or her, or  _him_. You're all  _liars_."

There was an edge to Ben's voice now that frightened Han, but he persisted. He had to.

_For both of them._

"Ben — "

— — —

They were almost to the docks, now. Rey's heart was in her throat, and there was a stitch in her side, but they kept running. 

When Han didn't immediately follow, she glanced back.

"No!" she shouted.

— — —

"Ben — " 

"No, no,  _no,_ " bellowed Kylo Ren, "You betrayed me. You  _took_  her from me.  _You let me believe she was dead._ "

Han didn't try to reach for his weapon as Ben pointed his again. He raised a hand — to do what, he didn't know — but all he managed to do was stroke his son's face, one last time, as Kylo's blade tore through his gut. 

— — —

Kylo Ren towered over the body of Han Solo, but looking down at his father's corpse, he felt no satisfaction and no relief. Instead, it felt like his soul —  _did he still have one of those?_  — had splintered in two.

"Monster!"

Kylo looked up, dazed, still in shock.

Rey was running toward him.  

She was feral, wild; eyes mad with hatred, and another man Kylo couldn't make out was behind her, screaming at her to come back.

She was weaponless, but it didn't matter. He wouldn't kill her. He would never kill her.

He took a few steps toward her, away from his father, but stopped when he heard the unmistakable sounds of sniffing, then snarling, behind him.

He didn't have time to raise his blade before Hago went for him.

Sharp teeth tore into his side, piercing his flesh, and he fell to the ground with an inhuman grunt. Wheezing and dizzy, he clutched the wound, sinking face-first into the soil, before all went dark.

— — —

Rey got as far as a few yards away from the edge of the  _Taiheiyo_ before Finn pulled her back.

"There's no time, Rey! Let's go!" 

Tears were streaming down her face as she stared, fixedly, at the body of Han Solo only a short ways away. Hago was curling around him, protecting him, and the monster in black was dead or dying in the dirt. 

Through her tears, she smiled at that.

Finn yanked on her arm, pulling her away, and she started to resist —

"No, Rey! They're coming, through the trees! We have to go now! Hago will... protect Han; we have to go. _Now_!"

And so she let him drag her back to the boat, sobbing and smiling at the image of the masked man in black, alone and bleeding under the trees.

— — —

When they finally arrived in the Sun Lands, in the capital city of  _Taiyō_ , Rey wasted no time. 

After landing just north of the palace, she all but ran toward the gates, dried tears sticking to her cheeks like scars.  

When she'd made it past the guards and into the gardens, Finn trailing in her wake, Hago was waiting for them; great body trembling under the cherry blossom trees.

He was curled around Han, whom he had somehow carried,  _gently_ , all the way home.

Finn let out an audible gasp. She rounded on him, wanting to scream, and cry some more, and  _kill_  —

He pointed, and she whirled back around.

Leia,  _Hime_  of Asu, had seen.  

She stood on the steps of the palace, a look of surprise painted across her still-lovely face, dark brown eyes gleaming with unshed tears as she took in the sight of her husband and his great  _Ōkami_ stillshaking on the ground.   

Beside her stood Luke, impassive as ever if not for the tiny tremble of his beard. Otherwise, he looked unchanged in the years since Rey had seen him.

Slowly, Leia descended the steps, her ornate silks seeming more like chains than clothing as she strode toward the beast, finally resting her hand on his back. To Rey's surprise, Hago allowed her to touch him. She did not reach for Han.

Rey averted her eyes and made for Luke.

"Who did this?" he asked, softly.

"A monster," Rey snarled.

Again, from behind her, Finn answered him.

"It was... Kylo Ren."

Only Luke saw Leia's shoulders tighten, or her cover her face with her free hand. A deep frown set into the lines of his brow, but he didn't speak.

Rey took her chance. 

"It's time, Luke. I'm done waiting." 

Luke met her eyes.

Hazel, like Han's.

"I need someone to show me my place in all of this."

Hackles raised, the wolf pointed his head toward the rising dawn and howled. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> || NOTES
> 
>  _Otōsan_ — A word for "father" in Japanese.
> 
>  _Sakura_ — A word for "cherry blossom" in Japanese. Cherry blossoms symbolize a few things in Japanese culture, including kindness, gentility, and transience of life.
> 
>  _Wasen_ — A traditional Japanese boat.
> 
>  _Taiyō_  — A word for "sun" in Japanese.
> 
>  _Ōkami_  — A powerful wolf spirit in Japanese lore that either takes your life or protects it depending on the actions one does in his or her life.
> 
> — — —
> 
> Shouldn't be too much of a surprise, right? Just in case it wasn't obvious, Hago is Chewie. Hago is short for "Hagotae," which, roughly translated from Japanese, means "chewy."
> 
> I'd love your feedback, and as always, thank you for your support! Come say hi on [Tumblr](http://rebelrebelreylo.tumblr.com/) or [Twitter](https://twitter.com/rebelrebelreylo) @rebelrebelreylo.
> 
> Check out the playlist for this fic [here](https://open.spotify.com/user/jct1dm8alp830w7tcgg635ujj/playlist/02POQ0A4nSLOghKF22AUjh).
> 
> Finally, if you're enjoying this story and want to get email notifications when it's updated, please feel free to hit that Subscribe button! Thanks again, everyone. :)


	4. shi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Under the cover of night, Rey did what she thought she would never do.
> 
> She entered the _Taiheiyo_ of her own free will.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was tough to write, so I hope you enjoy it! A gentle reminder: we're not in actual Japan, but a fantasy world inspired by Japan and the Shinto religion.

 

"Again." 

Rey growled, then lowered obediently into her stance; feet shoulder-width apart, knees bent, gripping her  _Tachi_  with two hands.

" _Hajime_."

She swung forward, attacking in a flurry of strokes that swiped at her Master's face, arms, legs. They were in the training yard of the  _Asu_  Palace, just south of the gardens.  _Amaterasu_  had just arisen, kissing them with light, and sky, and warmth.

If it'd been anyone else, she would've hit each mark — but Luke Skywalker was  _always_  faster than her. 

By a hair.

Rey growled again, launching herself at his stupid, stoic face, and actually managed to get inside his guard, though he still blocked her  _Tachi_  with his own, scant inches from his throat. For a second, he even looked surprised.

Then, his beard twitched, and he gave her a small smile.

"Well done. You broke through."

"Yeah, well," she grumbled, lowering her blade. "At least I did that."

Luke's brow furrowed in confusion as he stared at his pupil. 

"You should be proud, Rey. You've learned so much in such a short amount of time."

Rey didn't reply. Instead, she turned away from him to look north, toward the crashing sea, where she hoped  _Ryūjin_  would sleep another night under the waves.  

"What is it?" Luke asked.

"Nothing, Master."

"You're lying, child," he said, softly.

The stark contrast of his words — of  _him_  — made Rey flinch. She spun on her heel to glare at him.

"I'm tired of waiting," she spat. "I'm ready, and you know it. You're keeping me here under lock and key, Luke — the same as you did before. Sure, you're finally training me, but don't think for a second that I don't know it's only because your preferred student is dead."

She waited for him to respond, to defend himself, but he remained as impassive as ever; the mask of the Skywalker religion perfectly in place on his lined face.  

That made her even angrier.

"Snoke's rabid dog ransacks  _Asu_  villages and murders our people in his hunt for me, and still, you keep me here, teaching me only enough to stop me from running off. When I could find Kylo Ren, kill him, and  _end_  this war — "

"Enough," he interrupted. There it was — the same finality he'd always had in his voice, ever since she was a child picking up sticks and dreaming of skimming the air. She fell silent.

"You won't kill Kylo Ren," Luke said, voice measured. He extended a hand to place it on her shoulder, but she shrugged it off.

"I will," she ground out. The words were a pledge, a promise. "It's been a  _year_ , Luke. A year since that monster killed Han. And all you've done apart from teaching me how to swing a sword is stand by and  _do nothing_." 

"You cannot kill Kylo Ren," Luke continued, voice hard. "He is the leader of the  _Sōhei Ronin_. You know what that means, Rey."

Rey drew in a sharp breath, refusing to acknowledge the flicker of fear that had stolen her rebuttal. She pressed on, eyes burning with unshed tears.

She'd cried enough.

"I could kill him. There’s a way."

"No," said Luke, and now, his stoicism was gone, replaced by steel in his eyes and his words, as cutting as his sword. 

A long moment passed. Rey held his gaze, then nodded, curtly.

"We're done for today." 

With that he left her there, heading in the direction of the Sun Goddess's temple.

Rey watched him go. It didn't matter what he said — Luke was wise, but set in his ways, afraid of change.

She wouldn't let him stop her.

 

— — —

 

In the land of  _Iza_ , Kylo Ren raged.

He tore tapestries from walls; knocked over lanterns, and sliced the map in front of him clean in half. 

"She's in the capital," he said, panting. His gloved hands were still clutching the map he'd cleaved in two.

"If that's true, then I'm afraid she's unreachable," said Hux dryly. Kylo glared at him, fingers twitching;  _aching_  to throttle him for his perpetual smugness.

"No," growled Kylo, hands forming fists around the remains of the delicate parchment. "We got to her in  _Kaiyō_ , of all places. It's time to take the capital."

At that, the  _Shōgun_ balked, his clever eyes glinting with malice.

" _I_ am the might of  _Iza_ , Ren, not you. I will not sanction a suicide mission because you've failed to draw Skywalker or his Princess out."

Kylo glared at the warlord, grateful he was masked. Hux always paled under the fathomless eyes of his  _Somen_.

“The Emperor wants her. She is the key to winning this war.”

“Just the Emperor, I’m sure,” purred Hux. Kylo stiffened. This time, he cracked his wrists; the sound a sharp warning in the silent room.

“You spout madness, Ren,” Hux continued, unaffected by Kylo’s unspoken threat. He paced around the war room with haughty ease, “Without her at Snoke’s side, the capital is impenetrable. If that’s where she is, the only way to her is through the  _Taiheiyo_.”

Kylo glowered, knowing and hating the truth of the  _Shōgun's_ counsel.

“They’ll be expecting that this time,” he argued, “The  _Hime_  will have the perimeter guarded; I’m sure of it.”

“Which is  _why_ ,” said Hux, speaking to Kylo as if he were a child, “You must draw her out. Make her come to you, Ren.”

If only he could.

 

— — —

 

_Ben knew exactly where to go._

_He'd been playing hide and seek with Rey all morning, and she was annoyingly good at finding him. She said it was because she could smell him no matter where he went — she was such a_ brat _— but he'd finally found the perfect spot. No one would even think to look here._

_He didn't go too far in, just a few paces past the tree line. After finding one wide enough for him to hide behind, he sat and waited, pulling out one of his Uncle's many tomes to pass the time._

_The minutes ticked by, but it wasn't until the sun started to fade behind the horizon that he started to worry. He’d lost track of time while reading; how long had it been? It felt like ages..._

_He didn’t have to wait long for an answer._

_Just as he peeked his head around the tree to keep an eye out for Rey, big, yellow eyes met his._

_“Ben! Hago, bring him here.”_

_The yellow eyes got closer, and before Ben knew it, he was being hoisted up by the back of his tunic; Hago’s hot breath pouring down his neck._

_He shouted in protest as the giant wolf dragged him away from his hiding place and out of the trees, dropping him unceremoniously at his father’s feet._

_Ben scowled up at Han Solo, then immediately frowned at the look on his face._

_“Do you know what you’ve done, Ben?”_

_Ben shook his head. Han sighed, running a hand through his hair, then bent down so they were at eye level with one another._

_“Come on, kid.”_

_He extended a hand. Ben took it, still frowning, as Han helped him to his feet, and then hoisted him onto Hago’s back. Han followed, sitting securely behind his son._

_With a soft song from Han’s lips, Hago bounded forward, back toward the palace._

_“No lecture?” Ben asked. He had to shout over the roar of wind in his ears._

_“Not yet.”_

_With Hago to help their stride, they arrived at the palace in mere minutes. Quietly, Han led Ben inside, through room after room. He passed every place Ben expected them to go — the front hall, his parents’ wing, even his Uncle’s study — coming to stand just outside of Rey’s room, of all places._

_The door was ajar, and they could hear voices coming from inside. Han stilled Ben with a hand on his shoulder._

_Soft sobs echoed from the room. Ben’s throat burned at the sound._

_“He’s dead because of me, Leia. He’s never coming back!”_

_“Rey, sunshine, no. Han is getting him. Ben will be fine. He knows his way around the forest.”_

_The Hime’s words had little effect on the crying girl._

_“But the forest, it — it’s easy to get lost! I know what I’m talking about. It’s in all our stories!"_

_Ben heard Rey hiccup, then burst into a singsong voice still laden with tears._

_"The trees are the sea, and the tide tows you in... the deeper you go, the taller they grow. The deeper you go, the more monsters you’ll know!”_

_As Rey’s words became indistinguishable from her crying, Ben heard his mother try and calm her, humming a soft lullaby she’d sung to him for as long as he could remember. Ben made to rush in, to show her he was fine, but the sound of Luke speaking made him pause._

_“The Taiheiyo does slope like the sea, and it does house great beasts in its depths, but it’s not something we should fear, Rey. Not when we’re blessed by Amaterasu’s light — ”_

_“That’s enough, Luke,” Leia’s voice rang, “You’re just making it worse.”_

_His father’s hand was warm on his shoulder. Softly, Han spoke._

_“You gave her a real scare, Ben. Us, too. I know you didn’t mean to, kid, but you’ve got to remember that Rey’s just a little girl. She looks up to you.”_

 

— — —

 

For as long as she could remember, Rey had avoided this place. 

Even after she had returned to  _Asu_  and Luke had agreed to train her, she didn't pray at  _Amaterasu's_  shrine. Instead, she preferred the open sky.

Still, the Sun Goddess’s  _jinja_  was beautiful... All sweeping arches, gleaming gold and vibrant red.

But it wasn’t the hallowed halls her Master frequented that she was interested in.

The room that held  _Tsukiyomi’s kamidana_  was barely more than an alcove, with just enough room to move around (barely), and pitch black.

As a child, even though she’d never been allowed inside, she’d called it the Moon Room.

Now, she was inside, breathing roughly in the dark.

She closed her eyes and focused on her breath. In, and out. In, and out. Slowly, she slipped into her practice forms, eyes still closed, straining her ears and eyes (she had to keep them  _closed_ ) and breathe...

Time ebbed, passing by in dollops that sunk into her skin as she breathed, and moved, and  _listened_. She felt it;  _something_ , she could almost see —

She was interrupted by the slow, sad creak of the door opening, though the sound was as loud as a bang to her sensitive ears.

She opened her eyes.

Luke hovered over the threshold, ashen-faced. 

“You went straight to the dark.”

His tone was flat.

Rey lifted her chin, focusing on her keeping her breathing even.

“Yes.”

He stared at her, eyes blazing with something haunted and wild. His words, however, remained quiet.

“Why?”

“Because it’s the only way.”

“No, Rey,” Luke said, “You don’t understand what you’re — ”

Rey laughed, coldly.

“I don’t?” she asked. “You’re afraid, Luke. This is the only way I can beat Kylo Ren; the only way I can kill him. I have to know how to fight like him. I have to even the playing field.”

“ _Asu_  won’t risk losing you, Rey. Leia won’t, or Finn.  _I_  won’t. Snoke’s time is ending, and we’ll be there to see it, but for right now you need to stay here. It’s what Han would want.” 

“Don’t,” she hissed, pushing past him, emerging back into the light-filled halls of  _Amaterasu’s_  temple. “Don’t do that.”

Luke sighed, then muttered to himself as she sped away from him. 

“This isn’t going to go the way you think.”

 

— — —

 

_"You ready for another round, Nioi?"_

_Ben rolled his eyes, then spun forward, meeting Rey's dual Daishō with ease. He had two obvious advantages over her — even though he was still only 13 years past his Naming, he was growing like a weed, all gangly arms and legs. He beat her in size, strength, and most importantly, reach._

_But she did possess superior speed — and for a Skywalker, that was kind of the whole point._

_Rey danced around him, a blur of smiles and steel. He grunted in an effort to keep up, meeting her stroke for stroke, despite the leaden weight in his limbs._

_"You've got to be faster than that, Ben!" she teased._

_"Easy for you to say, you weigh a lot less," he grumbled. Sweat poured down his forehead, stinging his eyes, making it difficult to see her. He wiped it away with the back of his hand, and she laughed as her feet left the ground; skimming the air while he stayed rooted to the spot._

_He vaulted left, attempting to catch her off guard, but instead, she swung true, one of her Daishō slicing too close to his face._

_"Ben!"_

_The world went white._

 

— — —

 

Under the cover of night, Rey did what she thought she would never do.

She entered the  _Taiheiyo_  of her own free will.

All of her meager belongings — the finery at the palace had never been  _hers_  — were strapped across her back, though she carried her  _Tachi_  and  _Daishō_  on either hip. She slipped past Poe's guard with relative ease, though she thought she might've caught the eye of one of his  _Dōshin_.

It didn't matter. They'd come looking, but once hidden under the blanket of thick trees, she knew they wouldn't find her. Not if she didn't want them to.

It was a terrifying thought, but she pressed on. It was the only way.

As she moved deeper and deeper into the dense forest, the ground sloped ever downward, and the trees grew, taller and taller, until she could stare up and no longer see the night sky.

She could feel the  _Kami_  that lived here, spirits scratching at the skin of her throat; burrowing fingernails toward her bones, but they let her pass. She didn't shiver. She told herself that Hago was born in this forest, that Han had found him here. If they could be brave, so could she.   

The hours passed, and the gloom grew, shadowing her every step, but she slipped on, feet soaring across the surface of the forest floor. 

Until something moved in the dark.

A phantom breath stirred the tree leaves. Rey's hand gripped the blade at her hip, and she halted. She waited, holding her breath, straining to hear anything at all...

And then the shadow stepped right in front of her, just a few feet away.

It was  _him_. Kylo Ren.

Her eyes widened. 

"You," she spat.

He stared at her, unmoving. He was just as she remembered him; clothed head-to-toe in black  _Tosei-gusoku_ , the picture of a demon. She imagined the dead eyes of his  _Somen_  following her as she stepped forward.

"Rey."

His voice was a whisper on the wind, too  _gentle_. Her fury followed the soft sound.

"You're going to pay for what you did!" 

She raised her blade, preparing to attack —

Kylo tossed his own  _Tachi_  aside. Momentarily stunned, she hesitated, still clutching her weapon close.

Carefully, he raised shaking hands to remove his mask, letting it clatter to the ground next to his sword. 

Dark hair surrounded a pale, strangely beautiful face; one she'd dreamt of, all those years alone. One she'd mourned, one she'd loved... 

One she'd scarred.

It was still there, etched into his skin. 

"No," she murmured. Her world was spinning; winking in and out between the  _Shinkai_  and this world.

"No... You're a ghost. This... is the forest... You're not... not  _real_."

His eyes narrowed, and he took a step toward her, clenching and unclenching his hands.

"So,” he mused. His voice shocked her; it was  _deep_ , a man’s voice. “It seems they lied to you, too.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Hajime_ — the Japanese word meaning "beginning." In the Japanese traditional martial arts such as karate, judo, aikido, and kendo, it is a verbal command to "begin".
> 
>  _Ryūjin_ — The Japanese dragon god of sea and storms.
> 
>  _Shōgun_ — In feudal Japan, the Shōgun was the military dictator and essentially the de facto ruler of the country, although nominally they were appointed by the Emperor as a ceremonial formality.
> 
>  _Daishō_ — A matched pair of traditionally made Japanese swords worn by the samurai class in feudal Japan.
> 
>  _Dōshin_ — In feudal Japan, Dōshin were Samurai but of a lower class than yoriki — they performed the duties of a prison guard and patrol officer.
> 
>  _Kami_ — The spirits or phenomena that are worshipped in the religion of Shinto.
> 
>  _Kamidana_ — A miniature altar, or “god shelf” provided to enshrine a Kami.
> 
>  _Shinkai_ — The hidden “world” of Kami in Shinto mythology.
> 
> — — —
> 
> I'd love your feedback, and as always, thank you for your support!
> 
> The Taiheiyo is inspired by this amazing [Tumblr post](http://methsnake.tumblr.com/post/103063505877/death-and-ruin-iguanamouth-radglawr).
> 
> Come say hi on [Tumblr](http://rebelrebelreylo.tumblr.com/) or [Twitter](https://twitter.com/rebelrebelreylo) @rebelrebelreylo.
> 
> Check out the playlist for this fic [here](https://open.spotify.com/user/jct1dm8alp830w7tcgg635ujj/playlist/02POQ0A4nSLOghKF22AUjh).
> 
> Finally, if you're enjoying this story and want to get email notifications when it's updated, please feel free to hit that Subscribe button! :D Thanks again, everyone. :)


	5. go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Turn her over. I want to see my bride's face while it's still beautiful."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thank you for your support! Special shout-out to [LoveofEscapism](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LoveofEscapism/pseuds/LoveofEscapism/works) for talking me through finishing this chapter. :) Love you, girl!

 

An eternity seemed to crystallize in the air around them before Rey spoke, voice hollow.

"Who?" Rey asked.

She knew who. But she didn't know what else to say.

The man called Kylo Ren — _Ben_ , her mind whispered — rolled his shoulders, a tick she'd seen before, a _thousand_  times at least; an echo of a boy she used to know.

He seemed to notice. He took a tentative step toward her. When she flinched in response, he froze.

"Don't do that," he said, soft as a psalm. His dark eyes darted over every inch of her.

"Do what?" she asked.

"Lie."

Rey dug her foot into the dirt, eyes narrowing.

"What do you want?” 

His face grew slack; expressionless, as if he still wore his mask. But his eyes... _burned_. Did they ever stop burning? 

A low chuckle erupted from his chest, somehow rasping and warm, flickering like fire between their two bodies. It sparked heat in the chilly air.

“You, Rey. Always you.”

Words stuck in her throat, and she dared to look down at her feet, away from him, opening herself up to attack. 

“Now who’s the liar?” she whispered. She met his eyes again, hurriedly trying to piece herself back together; gathering shards, steeling herself to fight, or flee. This man was no longer Ben Solo. He couldn’t be...

His eyes were still searing her, now with a desperation that made her think of the crashing sea, toiling and tossing everything in its tide.

“I’ve never lied to you.”

“Another lie,” she mocked him, “You want me for your Master, Snoke. And he wants me for his broodmare.”

He said nothing to contradict her, and she thought of Han, bleeding in the dark on this same forest floor, his blood blooming in the earth. She thought of his great _Ōkami_ bent and broken amongst cherry blossoms; his Princess curling into the beast with shaking sobs. 

The images swam across her hazy eyes, tearing inhuman snarls from her throat. When had she started to cry? 

She gripped her blade more tightly, raising it to strike —

Shadows materialized around her, blocking her view of him. His Red Blades surrounded her, masked, armored, and brandishing their weapons.

"We're leaving."

 

— — —

 

_“Whispers of an attack — ”_

_“Just that, Han. Whispers.”_

_“We can’t wait for Shima to fall. She’ll be dead if we do, and the island is too critical; it could turn the tide in this war. If Iza’s Emperor had a legitimate claim to it...”_

_Ben scowled behind closed doors, a knot twisting his chest. The way they were speaking of her — like some kind of_ tool _; a_ thing _instead of a person —_

_He couldn’t stand it._

_His parents, uncle, and his mother’s most prized bushi, Dameron, all jumped as he burst through the double doors of the Great Room._

_“Ben,” his mother greeted him. She tried and failed to mask the surprise in her voice; something usually so easy for the royal._

_Ben didn’t have time for pleasantries._

_“We have to go get her,” he said, addressing his uncle._

_Luke studied him, the same shrewd disappointment he always wore when he looked at Ben shrouding his face._

_“If Poe's spies say that the Emperor is going to finally make his move against Shima, then we have to go and get her,” Ben insisted. He tore his gaze away from Luke, turning to his father instead._

_Where his mother was calm and his uncle was sharp, the General was sad. Still, he didn't speak. He simply hung his head, refusing to meet his son's eyes._

_An uncomfortable silence settled over the hall, stealing Ben's heart from in between his lungs._

_"You can't mean to leave her there."_

_The words dripped from his lips; spewed poison. His rage was a physical thing in the room. Without voice, it threatened to wash them all away, the same as a monsoon in summer._

_"Rey is already lost_ , _" Luke spoke bluntly, eyes hard. Leia glared at her brother, gaze softening as it came to rest on Ben._

_"It's true that if we sent our armies to Shima now, it could mean too many losses. Without something more substantial to act on — "_

_"That's not good enough!" Ben roared, wringing his hands. He saw red; he wanted to fight, to flee, to find her. He wouldn't let them sacrifice her. He couldn't._

_"Ben!"_

_He didn't know who had shouted his name; maybe they all had. It was a cacophony of anguished sound coming at him from all sides, pounding on his skull. He could barely comprehend anything beyond that and the angry crimson obscuring his senses._

_Before he knew what was happening, he was dragged from the hall by two — no, three of Dameron's bigger Dōshin, breathing hard. They forced him all the way back to his rooms, leaving him there to rot, alone and afraid._

_Like they always did._

_Back in the Great Room, Luke scowled, Han still stared resolutely at the floor, and Leia held a hand over her eyes, breath coming in and out in soft, swift shudders._

_Poe, meanwhile, stood stock-still._

_"Come, Poe," Han said, lifting his eyes to the young man. He glanced at his wife, who only gave him the tiniest of nods, her jaw tight. "Let's leave the Hime and her brother to finish their discussion."_

_Poe nodded, and the two men left the hall. It wasn't until they were safely out of earshot of both twins that Poe spoke._

_"Your orders, General?"_

_Han paused, gripping the bushi’s arm tightly._

_"We leave at twilight."_

 

— — —

 

Rey hadn't realized how deep into the forest she'd gone until she emerged on the other side, still flanked by black guards; faceless and hellish under the red lights of the Night City. They’d taken her weapons and her pack of supplies, leaving her with nothing but the clothes on her back. Kylo led them forward, pushing his way through the darkness as if it was malleable to the touch; as if he commanded it.

But then, he did. 

As she strode to the edge of the trees still shadowed by enemies on either side, she felt bile rise in her throat. She was back where she'd been a year ago. 

Carefully, she controlled the rising panic spreading underneath her skin. 

She wasn’t afraid. She had come here to kill; to _end_  this nightmarish war, and she would still do it.

Even so, she took comfort in knowing that dawn was due. _Soon_.

As they passed under the threshold of the Emperor’s palace, entering the labyrinthine corridors lit only by flickering oil lamps, Rey longed for daylight. 

They’d only gone down a few dizzying passages before Kylo halted, throwing out a hand to signal his  _Sōhei Ronin_.

“Go. Day approaches; I will take her to Snoke.”

The shadow men around her seemed to swirl, hesitant, until he spoke again — this time, in a low growl.

“Leave us.”

The black-garbed warriors retreated the way they’d come; sinking into the darkness the way they always did, like seeping ink on a page. 

Once they’d gone, Rey stared at Kylo. He’d turned slightly when he’d dismissed his men, so she could see the unscarred side of his face; the eye she could see trained on her every breath. He was still clutching his discarded mask in one hand.

“You don’t have to do this.” 

The words escaped her before she knew she was saying them.

“Ben...”

When the name left her lips, something ripped open in her chest, spilling the contents on the ground. She’d tucked it away but it was there, oozing out of her; an open wound.

At her omission, Ben’s lip trembled, so slightly, so _minutely_ that only she could’ve seen it. Even though he wore a man’s face now, she could still see all of his cracks. The movement made her bold. 

She stalked to him, stopping just a few inches away. As she got close enough to notice his height, and the sheer width of him (he'd grown so... so  _large_  in their years apart), he froze, gaze locked on hers.

“I don’t understand,” she said. 

He let out a gust of air, his breath fanning across her cheeks. He smelled of mint, and the needles of the forest; sharp and stimulating. 

“You will,” he promised.

His hand found her lower back, and for one wild moment she thought he was going to press her to him, but he didn't — instead, he nudged her toward a set of red doors a few paces down the hall. She frowned at the sight. 

Strangely, they were unguarded.

As they approached, the doors swung open. Beyond them was a long, cavernous hall, dark and red like everything else in this place. They moved inside at a steady pace, Ben still pushing her onward, gently.

No torches lined the walls; instead, hundreds and hundreds of long-stemmed candles sat scattered across the expanse of the stone floor on either side of them, casting shadows in the gloom. Rey wondered how many _Kami_ had been born in these shadows, only to decay and die in this netherworld between _Shinkai_ and the sunlight.

At the end of the hall sat the Emperor, risen high. More red, endless _red_ surrounded him — red in the stone, in his robes, in the cracks of his skin. He was ancient and ugly; a true _Oni_ made man, and not just for his deformities. It was the red in his smile; unfurling at her as she drew close.

"It seems I must forgive you of your shame, Ren," he purred. His voice set her skin to crawl.

Behind her, Ben froze, leaving her alone underneath the Emperor's eye. 

_You're not alone._

She shook her head, trying to stem the onslaught of memories still threatening to drown her beneath a battering tide. She met the monster's cold cerulean eyes; he was speaking to her.

"You are long overdue, Princess," he said, eyes sparkling strangely in the candlelight. He licked his lips. "Do not fear. My faithful  _Sōhei Ronin_ have rescued you at last from those who would chain you."

"I'm not a Princess," Rey challenged him. She felt her own terror, but instead of ignoring it, she used it, stoking the flames of anger in her soul. This man had hunted her for over a decade; she wouldn't let him have his _prize_. 

She would do what she came here to do, and send his soul to  _Yomi-no-kuni_.

The Emperor stared at her, somehow looking even more pleased. She could hear Ben breathing behind her; slow, measured. Almost as if he was meditating.

"So much strength," murmured Snoke, "You're right, of course. You will be an Empress. Come closer, child."

Rey didn't move. Ben's breathing sped up, and she took comfort in that tiny piece of him that still lived, small as it was.

"Come closer, I said," commanded the Emperor. His smile twisted into a leer; the displeasure at being ignored worrying his brow.

"No," Rey said, calmly, clearly. "I won't be your Empress. You'll have to kill me."

She took a tiny step back, uncoiling her fingers from the fists she'd made at her sides. How far away was Ben behind her? Adrenaline was building in her limbs as she waited, poised, trying to be patient. She just needed an opening...

Snoke laughed at her, the sound carrying throughout the chamber, causing ripples in the air. 

"You will give me everything," he said, mirth and absolute power making his face manic, "Enough resistance, now. Bring her to me, Ren." 

Rey didn't give Ben a chance to do as his Emperor commanded. She was too fast; always faster than him, _always_ catching him by surprise. She spun, grabbing at the _Tachi_  attached to his hip; too large and heavy, but it would do. She twirled toward Snoke's throne, clutching the blade in two hands as she made her mad dash forward, toward the old man's exposed neck —

Until, abruptly, she was on her knees in front of him again, face pressing painfully into the floor. Ben's _Tachi_  was still straining in her shaking grip as she tried to move, but something was holding her down.

"Foolish child," cooed the Emperor. His voice was drawing closer; he was descending from the dais. Rey didn't understand — she struggled, trying to throw off the invisible weight pressing into her back, forcing her down. She twisted her neck a little, just to try and see...

A shadow with Ben's face hovered behind her, keeping her still. He was himself and he wasn't; somewhere between corporeal and fluid smoke, undulating all around her. He didn't even have hands to hold her with; just frothing energy. But his eyes — his eyes were the same dark stars in the void, and they pleaded with her.

"Hold her there," said Snoke, silkily. He was too close, now. Rey could feel his presence slide next to her and the Shadow Ben, coming to stand at her right side. She could barely see his slippered feet from her current vantage point, but it didn't matter. With every inch, crippling fear closed in on her, burning so bright inside that she bit her lip, trying to choke back tears. 

"Turn her over. I want to see my bride's face while it's still beautiful." 

Careful fingers found her arms, obeying his command. Ben was coalescing into himself again, or as much himself as he could be while he was the Emperor's dog — solid, real, alive. Standing over her, inscrutable, as he held his recovered blade to her chest. 

Snoke chuckled softly. 

"I won't kill you, child, you're far too valuable to me alive. But a wife should be seen, not heard. Next time you are insolent, I will have Ren sever your hands at the wrists."

"Ben," she whispered. Her face was wet; hot tears leaving trails down her cheeks. He didn't respond. The arm holding his sword didn't even shake.

"You waste your tears, Princess. His loyalty is to me; my most faithful _Sōhei Ronin_... He is mine," Snoke whispered, "Just like you'll be."

Rey closed her eyes; her world on a knife's edge. If she'd kept them open, even a second longer, she would've seen something in Ben's harden.

"Yes," said Snoke, vicious pleasure spiking in his voice, "Cut the tongue out of that pretty mouth — "

There was a slash; then a heavy _thud_ , but no words. Not even a cry of pain. 

Something warm and sticky was on her face. Rey blinked her eyes open; raising a hand to her cheek to touch it. When she held it out in front of her, she only saw more red.

"Rey."

Her eyes found Ben, still standing over her, his weapon slack and dripping scarlet.  

She jolted to her feet; the shock of nothing holding her down completely overshadowed by the realization that the Emperor, he...

She turned, staring at the old man's corpse on the ground, mere inches away from where she'd just lain. Ben had sliced clean through his throat; the stone around them staining crimson. 

"Slitting it wouldn't have been good enough," Ben murmured, behind her. She turned to face him again, eyes wide.

"You killed him," she eased out, still unbelieving. " _Why?_ "

"You know why," he said, softly, "We're still bound. You and I." 

She didn’t move. In that moment, she didn’t know how. Ben let his blade clatter to the ground as he stared at her, unguarded, his eyes full of a familiar hunger that pulled at her navel.  

“No more lies," he promised, "Don’t you want to know what happened? Don’t you want the truth?”

He extended his hand toward her.

“Join me.” 

His fingers twitched, and he reached, further, his hand only inches away now.

“ _Please_.”

As if from far away, Rey saw herself raise her own hand, and take his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> || NOTES
> 
>  _Bushi_ — Another word for samurai.
> 
>  _Yomi-no-kuni_ — The Japanese word for the land of the dead (World of Darkness). According to Shinto mythology as related in Kojiki, this is where the dead go after life.
> 
> — — —
> 
> Your feedback sustains me. :D Seriously, thank you for reading! I'd love to hear your thoughts in a comment or hit me up on [Tumblr](http://rebelrebelreylo.tumblr.com/) or [Twitter](https://twitter.com/rebelrebelreylo) @rebelrebelreylo.
> 
> Check out the playlist for this fic [here](https://open.spotify.com/user/jct1dm8alp830w7tcgg635ujj/playlist/02POQ0A4nSLOghKF22AUjh).
> 
> Finally, if you're enjoying this story and want to get email notifications when it's updated, please feel free to hit that Subscribe button! Thanks again, everyone. :)


	6. roku

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The Emperor is dead," murmured Ben. "His _Sōhei Ronin_ live. I live, Hux. And as _Shōgun_ , you’ll follow my lead."
> 
> Clawed hands crept out of the gloom, pulling themselves from the dancing shadows until they became men; smoke-like and circling the new Emperor and his _Shūjin_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thank you for your support! Special shout-out to the fam at the Reylo Writing Den before being, well, lovely. :)

 

His hand engulfed hers; the gloved fingers shaking slightly underneath her touch.  

"You'll stay?" he asked. He sounded as if he could barely believe it.

Before she could answer, the doors to the hall burst open behind him. A thin, pale man sauntered in, wearing sweeping black robes and a slick smile. His long, pleased strides carried him close quickly.  

Ben moved to stand in front of her so fast that for a moment, he was a blur; more shade than man. 

As the other man approached, Rey could see him take in the Emperor. Neither her nor Ben had moved to hide his body. The old man's slashed throat still seeped blood across the stone; feeding the _Kami_  hiding in the shadows. 

To her surprise, the man stopped, cold eyes appraising them both.

"What happened?"

The man's shrewd gaze washed over her, a gleam of something mad in the corner of his eye, making her want to take a step back.

Rey remained firm where she stood. Her muscles twitched in anticipation, bracing for what felt like an inevitable fight. Her fingers itched for her  _Daishō_.

"Snoke is dead."

She tore her eyes away from the stranger, staring instead at the man still rooted in front of her. 

"I see that," said the man, "How?" His eyes flitted to her again.

"I killed him," said Ben, the words easy, and honest. Rey blinked in confusion. The other man's eyes narrowed, and a scowl painted his face.

"Well," he drawled, lips unfurling into a satisfied, sickening smile, "I'll admit, I've long waited for the day I could order your execution." 

Ben _laughed_. It was a sharp sound, echoing throughout the chamber and burrowing into the air around them. Rey couldn't help but be forcibly reminded of a very different laugh; one that made her dream of summer, and the sea...

"I don't doubt it," said Ben, amused. He stalked toward the other man, casually flexing gloved fingers around his _Tachi_. To his credit, the stranger didn't move; he seemed frozen to the spot, his eyes now transfixed by the weapon twirling in Ben's hand.

"But you won't." 

"Oh, I assure you, Ren, nothing would give me more pleasure than to — " 

In a blink of an eye, Ben was a shade again, fluid and black in the flickering candlelight, moving too fast for her to see. It was only the sound of his blade sighing against the skin of the other man's neck that made him knowable, threatening more blood. When Rey realized what was happening, he was already pressing his _Tachi_ to the man's throat.

"You presume to command my army," spat the man, his face going red with rage, an echo of his flame-kissed hair. "Our Emperor is dead! We have no ruler!"

"The Emperor is dead," murmured Ben. "His  _Sōhei Ronin_ live. I live, Hux. And as  _Shōgun_ , you’ll follow my lead." 

Clawed hands crept out of the gloom, pulling themselves from the dancing shadows until they became men; smoke-like and circling the new Emperor and his _Shūjin_. 

Slowly, Ben lowered his weapon from the man called Hux's throat. 

_Iza's_   _Shōgun_ , Rey noted, cataloging the twitch of Hux's brow as the  _Tachi_  fell away. That mad glint was still in his eye, promising nothing but retribution, but for now, it seemed he was outnumbered. 

"Take him to the War Room," commanded Ben. His Red Blades complied, ushering the warlord away, out of the hall and down the dark corridor until she couldn't see them anymore.  

She glanced at him as he turned toward her, dark eyes resting on her face.   

"Come with me," he said, walking back to her, extending his hand again. "I'll take you somewhere... Safe."

 

— — —

 

_"Ben, come out."_

_"Go away, Rey."_  

_THUD. Rey's head thunked against the door, and she sighed, loudly._

_"You said you'd help me practice!"_

_Silence. Rey groaned, pushing away from the door with two tiny hands. Annoyed, she kicked it._

_Still, Ben ignored her._

_She scowled, then plopped down, crossing her legs._

_"I'm just going to wait until you come out," she called, idly picking stray threads out of the carpet beneath her._

_She thought she heard him shuffle a few papers, but it was hard to tell. She wondered if he was trying to practice his fancy letters. She frowned. Usually, he let her watch._

_Drawing circles on the skin of her calf, Rey started to hum a _Shima_ song; one her father used to sing about the sea._

_She heard him shuffle a few more papers. It sounded like he was closer to the door now, so she scooted closer, too._

_Eventually, he'd have to come out. And when he did, he was keeping his promise._

_"I said go away, Rey."_

_She was surprised when he spoke, quietly, from underneath the door. She'd expected him to chastise her, but the words were soft and sad._

_Hesitantly, Rey pressed her hand to the door again._

_"Ben? Are you all right?" she asked. She was whispering now._  

_He didn't respond, but she didn't expect him to._  

_"It's okay," she continued, "It's just me, Ben. You can always talk to me."_

_She heard him sigh, and another THUNK. His head against the door._

_"I promise I won't tell anyone."_

_"...Not even Hago?" he asked._

_"Not even Hago," she promised._

_There was another long pause, but then, Ben began to speak._

_"It's my Uncle..."_

_Rey frowned, but listened, keeping her hand pressed to the door._

_On the other side, Ben did the same._

 

— — —

 

They weren't alone.

As Ben led her through twisting corridors and up narrow, winding staircases caged by beams of bamboo, she saw servants hastening to cover any and all open windows that dotted the vast _Shiro_. Granted, there weren't many on the lower levels of the Emperor's palace, but she saw more and more as they climbed.

She stared at them as they worked — noting every flick of their wrists as they closed curtains; every escaped exhale as they secured drapes. She gawked openly at the dark clothing that covered nearly every inch of their skin, save their eyes. 

She'd been right. Daylight was near.

When they saw her looking, they pointedly avoided her gaze, even though she was the one exposed.

Finally, Ben stopped in front of another set of double doors and turned to her, his hand tight on the knob.

"Wait for me inside," he said, softly. "I'll send someone to help you until I can return." 

"Where are you going?" Rey asked, frowning. He bit the inside of his cheek, eyes darting all over her face — as if he still expected her to disappear.

"To deal with Hux." He opened the door for her. "You'll be safe here." 

Rey lowered her eyes to the floor and stepped inside.

"...I promise." 

She turned back to him — to say something, to ask him to stay and explain everything — but he'd already shut the door. 

Her hand darted out, fingers grazing the polished wood, and she let her head fall against the door with a soft _thud_. She closed her eyes, breathing deeply, trying desperately to slow her racing pulse. The air smelled of sweet and spice; a heady mixture of azalea and something else filled with a fragrant heat that she didn’t know.  

A thought bloomed in the back of her mind; a weed tangling itself around her throat, making it difficult to voice.

But she had to.

Ben... was alive. Ben was alive, she’d _seen_  him. Luke, Leia, even Han... they’d all lied to her. For _years_. 

What else had they lied about?

_No more lies. Don’t you want to know what happened? Don’t you want the truth?_

Ben was alive, but he spoke — and _moved_  — like Kylo Ren. 

Rey’s eyes snapped open. Deft fingers twisted the doorknob, and she slipped outside, careful to make no sound.

She had to know who Ben really was.

 

— — —

 

In the War Room, it was the  _Shōgun's_ turn to pace.

"This sad attempt of yours to seize power is the whim of an ill-tempered child," spat Hux. He couldn't go far; the other Red Blades still circled him, trailing smoke as they shadowed his steps.

"Is it?" asked Kylo Ren. He sat on the other side of the _chabudai_ , still strewn with maps and spiked with red-tipped needles. His voice dripped so much disdain it was a wonder it didn't pool on the stone floor.

"I am royal by birth; the leader of Snoke's _Sōhei Ronin_. You know the _Iza_ people look to an Emperor anointed by _Tsukiyomi_. My marriage to the _Shima_ heir is the last remaining piece of the puzzle; the best way for you to win your precious war."

Hux was quiet for a long moment, his eyes a storm as they searched Kylo Ren's for any hint of weakness. 

"You would still marry the girl, then."

Hux's words had the intended effect. The new Emperor's eyes softened, just slightly. The side of Hux’s mouth twitched, but he managed to hold back his smirk in the company of Ren's... unnatural kin.

"You know she's been my intended since childhood." 

"Indeed," agreed Hux. This time, he allowed the smirk to worm its way across his face. "Indeed."

"No harm will come to the girl," continued Kylo Ren, tone bland. 

It didn't matter — he'd already made the fatal error of removing his mask, exposing those eyes of his. 

Eyes that _burned._  Whether in love, or hatred for him. Hux didn't care. 

"Of course not," mused Hux. He was completely still, now, hands clasped behind his back. "The Empress of _Iza_... born in _Amaterasu's_ light, and blessed in marriage to you by _Tsukiyomi_. Our people will worship her." 

Kylo Ren remained silent. Hux arched an eyebrow, then chuckled mirthlessly.

"You're less of a fool than I took you for, Ren. Now. When is the wedding?" 

Neither of the two men noticed the woman just outside, ear pressed to the door. They also didn't see her slip away before Hux left the room nearly an hour later, leaving Kylo Ren to collect himself before returning to his bride.

 

— — —

 

Rey didn’t know how she managed to find the room she’d abandoned. But she did, heart hammering in her chest like the drumbeat of _Shima_ warriors returning home from seafaring. It pounded against her ears and her heart and she could almost taste the sea; the briny kiss of her father against her cheek, but he had Han’s face.

She burst into the room she’d left with tears in her throat, rubbing her raw from the inside out. 

“Oh!”

Rey blinked furiously, then tried wiping her face. Her eyes still stung, but she could see, at least: another large, dark room, with a bed and tightly-closed windows, adorned in endless red.

There was no one, but —

Two women were on the floor in front of her, bent over so far that their noses scraped the stone.

Rey staggered back, banging into the door behind her with her hip. 

“ _Kriff_ ,” she swore. 

One of the women trembled. Rey thought she heard something like a low hiss, but it was so quiet that she wasn’t sure. It could’ve been a wind spirit — or her own imagination.

“Who are you?” Rey asked, staring between the two of them. 

The woman to the right raised her head, slowly, peering at Rey as if she was a _Kami_. She was beautiful even underneath the many layers of black and crimson silk that obscured almost all of her skin; deep brown eyes stared back at Rey, sparking like flames meant only to bring warmth.

“We were summoned for you, Empress. To help you settle into your new home.”

“Oh,” said Rey. Her eyes drifted to the other woman, still bowing before her. The woman who’d spoken noticed Rey’s gaze, and lightly touched her companion’s wrist. Then she, too, raised her head. She was smaller and shorter than the first woman, but she had the same eyes.

“What are your names?” Rey asked. She didn’t know what else to say. 

Both women lowered their eyes before answering.

“Paige, Empress. Paige Tico, daughter of Haruki. And this is my sister — ”

“Rose,” said the other woman, meeting Rey’s eyes again. A soft smile seemed to dance across her lips.

“It’s... good to meet you both,” said Rey, moving a few paces away the from the doorway. 

Before she could think of what to do next, she heard them — heavy footsteps approaching outside in the corridor.

Panic lanced through Rey, gripping her heart in scaly hands. The feeling intensified when both women stood, scurrying for another door she hadn’t noticed near the far corner of the room. 

“Wait,” Rey pleaded. The taller one, Paige, only gave her a fleeting, apologetic glance before leaving, but the small one, Rose, paused.

“I’m sorry, Empress,” she whispered. Her large, dark eyes were sad. “But we will keep your home for you. And...our silence.”

Rey’s eyes widened, and Rose gave her another soft smile before she, too, left.

A soft rapping sound fluttered against the door; large knuckles beating an achingly familiar tune.

“Rey.”

Words collected in her throat, sticking like dried honey. She didn’t turn her back — no, she didn’t trust his shadows enough to do that, so she stumbled backward instead, slumping to the floor and leaning her back against the foot of the bed. 

“Rey?”

His voice was louder now, but still so _gentle_. It made her want to scream at him.

She didn’t.

The silence stretched until finally, he spoke again.

“I’m just going to wait for you,” he murmured. 

She heard him sit, and the creak of the wood as he pressed his back to her door, but she made no move to let him in. She just hugged her knees to her chest and waited for him to leave her.

She didn’t know how much time passed in silence, but eventually, he started to hum — a deep, warm rumble that filled her chest and made her want to cry again.

She fell asleep to the melody; one of an old _Shima_ lullaby she’d all but forgotten.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> || NOTES
> 
>  _Shūjin_ — A word for "prisoner" in Japanese.
> 
>  _Chabudai_ — A short-legged table used in traditional Japanese homes.
> 
>  _Shōgun_ — In feudal Japan, the Shōgun was the military dictator and essentially the de facto ruler of the country, although nominally they were appointed by the Emperor as a ceremonial formality.
> 
>  _Iza_ — The nation and people of Iza in this story are inspired by Izanami, a primordial goddess and personification of the Earth and darkness in Japanese Shinto mythology.
> 
> — — —
> 
> Thank you for reading! I'd love to hear your thoughts in a comment or hit me up on [Tumblr](http://rebelrebelreylo.tumblr.com/) or [Twitter](https://twitter.com/rebelrebelreylo) @rebelrebelreylo.
> 
> Check out the playlist for this fic [here](https://open.spotify.com/user/jct1dm8alp830w7tcgg635ujj/playlist/02POQ0A4nSLOghKF22AUjh).
> 
> Finally, if you're enjoying this story and want to get email notifications when it's updated, please feel free to hit that Subscribe button! Thanks again, everyone. :)


	7. shichi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Let the past die. Kill it, if you have to."
> 
> She laughed. It was a harsh sound, cold and tinny in the small room, drawing a flinch from his hulking shoulders.
> 
> "What do you want from me?" she asked.
> 
> "I told you," he said, "Stay."
> 
> She raised her wrists, looking at the expanse of unshackled skin. 
> 
> "Do I have a choice?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for your continued support! I hope you enjoy this chapter. :D

 

The sun didn't rise.

Or, at least, Rey never saw it. She woke stiff and aching on the cold stone of her room, still slumped against the foot of the bed.

Groaning, she stretched, bending forward into a deep bow. She said a silent prayer to _Susanoo_ before standing, rubbing her sore backside. 

She licked her lips as she surveyed the room again.  It was still so dark — if not for the candlelight streaming underneath both doors, it would've been impossible to see anything at all.

As her eyes came to rest on the door that led outside, she swallowed. Her throat begged for water, but she made no move toward the exit. Instead, she hovered, dancing from toe to toe.

"Rey?"

His voice made her leap back in surprise. She hissed when she slammed into the bed frame, banging her hip.

He didn't knock this time.

The door swung open, letting in more light. Rey blinked at the sudden brightness until it was gone; replaced by the towering frame of a new Emperor. 

Circles had sprouted under his eyes; dark enough to be blue bruises painted across pale skin. His gaze was heavy as it took her in, inch by inch. Finally, his eyes found her face, and he broke the silence with a soft sigh.

"Did you sleep?"

She didn't trust her voice, so she nodded. He opened his mouth to respond, but snapped it shut, working his jaw. Her eyes lingered on the shape of it, cut sharp against the shadows of the room. 

She let her eyes wander, surveying him the same as he'd done, noticing how his gloved fists were clenched  tight, and how he still wore his armor.

"Did you?"

He glanced away, then back again. The movement was familiar, forcing hazy memory to bloom where she needed to breathe. 

"You must be hungry."

She licked her lips again.

"Yes."

Without a word, he stalked forward. Rey froze — but he walked past her, stopping in front of the door to the sisters' rooms.

" _Sābanto_ ," he called, rapping his knuckles on the wood. He didn't shout, but his tone brokered no argument.

In the space of a breath, both women emerged from the other side, heads bowed. Rey wondered if their eyes had memorized more floors than faces.

"Breakfast." 

Both women nodded, never looking up, then hurried from the room. Neither looked at her before they left.

Ben followed them, but she hesitated. Once he'd reached the exit and saw that she hadn't moved, he turned back to her.

"Rey?" 

She took a step forward, then another, then stilled, her feet set in a wide, firm stance.

"You said no more lies." 

His fingers curled around the lip of the doorway, and he nodded again.

"Yes."

"You'll tell me everything?"

 

He let his hand drop. His eyes sparkled a little gold in the candlelight as he studied her face again as if he was seeing a ghost. She understood.

 

"...Everything I know."

 

— — —

 

The halls bled together, ribbons of red and black, and Rey realized she had no concept of time as Ben led her through the _Shiro_.

She'd slept, but she lived by the sun and the stars. In the Red Palace, she'd only seen blood and shadow.

Finally, their feet found a dining room near the kitchens. Ben let her enter first, lowering his eyes as she passed.

The space was small and sparse, outfitted only with a _chabudai_ in the center. Torches lined the walls, offering more light than any other room Rey had seen so far.

She took a seat on one side of the low table, curling her legs underneath her, hands pulling at the fabric of her _Hakama_. Ben sat across from her, straight-backed and staring. 

Silence reigned until the sisters returned, placing plates of steamed rice, nori, and fish in front of them before scurrying away. 

Before she left, the smaller girl — _Rose_ , Rey remembered — stole a glance, giving her a tremulous smile beneath layers of silk.

Rey picked at her food, ignoring the gnawing teeth in her belly.

"You should eat."

She looked up at him with careful eyes, but said nothing, her mouth a thin line. She didn't know what to say. She didn't know where to _start_. 

"...I've never seen you refuse food," he continued.  A ghost of a grin passed over his face, so fleeting and tiny she was sure she imagined it, but the tightening in her chest said otherwise.

"You haven't seen me."

He exhaled, slow and sharp, as if trying to breathe out her words. But they were already sinking in, spiny and scathing. She hadn't meant them to be, but there they sat between the two of them.

"No," he agreed, looking down at his plate. He'd  barely  touched it.

Rey dug her nails into the meat of her thigh, steeling herself. 

"Why didn't you come for me? Then?"

A dark cloud covered Ben's face, sketching lines in his brow; the hollows of his cheeks. His eyes were still gentle, vulnerable even, but there was a hard edge to the line of his jaw.

"I did."

 

— — —

 

_He needed a ship._

_A stitch split Ben's side as he stole through the grounds of his mother's palace — careful to avoid Dameron's guard — and into the Asu night._

_Tsukiyomi spurned him onward, whispering in his ear. He welcomed the Moon God's strength, letting it sink into his skin, bathing him in black; gifting him speed, grace, power._

_ He reached the city docks in half the time it would've taken the fastest man alive to sprint, and he soared into the sea, sailing north on the first shimaihagi he could steal. _

_Ben was not a skilled sailor; but thankfully, Susanoo obeyed his brother — the tide was kind._

_But no matter what deal he made, he couldn't stop time._

_By the time he reached Shima, Amaterasu threatened to spin gold in the sky. He was still leagues away, but he could already see the smoke._

_The island was burning._

_Rey's village was in flames; spilling screams and souls into the waiting sea. The few bodies left streamed into the saltwater, already half-dead as they swam for their lives._

_Ben's feet found the shore, and he abandoned his boat without a thought, sprinting through sand stained the color of charcoal.  No doubt one of the fleeing villagers would take it, but it didn't matter — nothing mattered unless he could find Rey._

_His heart seized as he imagined her, broken and burned; bones of ash feeding the soil —_

_He screamed, too, then, and flew into a rage so hot and dark that the fire couldn't touch him. What was fire to a shade?_

_He searched the wreckage in a blind panic, suffocating the landscape with his brittle, black grip, but all he found was death. Not her, not her, not her... _

_He reached the village center, still seeking, when he saw a shadow that wasn't his..._

_It was his father._

_Even like this, Ben would recognize him anywhere._

_His father was here, being trailed by  Dameron. Together, they were hauling a body toward a pair of eyes glinting in the gloom... The body of a girl._

_Confusion and fury tightened around his throat, choking him, and he couldn't shout, he couldn't scream, he couldn't cry, though his face still felt wet. For a beat, all he could do was stare at the motionless body in Han's arms. _

_And then, he pulled from the dark; becoming more monster than man, trembling and shaking with a power he didn't know, didn't understand, didn't even know how to use — but it didn't matter, not if Rey was dead. _

_He'd become anything, do anything to bring her back._

_So he tried, painting the world in shadow, trying to reach her, to snatch her back, uncaring that it was his father who was carrying her corpse home._

_"Ben, no!"_

_He spun, unseeing, until the light took his eyes. It was white-hot; scalding his soul, burning the whispers away._

_When he came to, he was himself again, and his Uncle Luke was standing over him, holding his Tachi to Ben's throat._

_The sharp edge tickled his skin as he exhaled, looking for an answer in his Uncle's eyes, but he found none. Only hatred._

_With a roar, he reached for the dark again, cloaking his limbs with it, using it to push Luke back with enough force that he crumpled, narrowly  missing the still spreading wildfire._

_When the old master righted himself, he skimmed the earth with featherlight feet — as if he walked on the sky — but Ben was gone, a stain of his shadow still imprinted in the sand._

 

— — —

 

"Rey." 

Luke... was it true?

"Rey?"

And Han — _Han_ , and Poe... Screaming erupted in her ears, and she heard him, she actually _remembered_ — 

It was his touch that forced her awake; tearing her from the tangled tapestry he'd woven. His hand covering hers.

She stared at it. He was still wearing his gloves.  Vaguely, she wondered if his skin was still soft. Despite all his training — with _Tachi_ and brush — his hands had never been coarse. 

"You... you came, then," she managed. Her mind was reeling; struggling to see any other truth than the one he'd told her. He stared at her again, eyes flickering over her face. 

"Of course I did," he murmured.

She averted her eyes. She had to. She couldn't see the softness in his, not right now.

"They lied to you," he said,  darkly, "They lied to both of us."

"They didn't lie to you, Ben," she argued, voice strained, "Han and Poe saved me — " 

"They took you away," he interrupted, anger flooding his tone, "They kept you hidden; they forced you to be alone, _waiting_ , all those years — "

"To keep me safe!" she shouted, finally meeting his eyes.  They were both breathing hard, and Rey felt vertigo as she thought back to how many other times they'd fought, tooth and nail,  just  like this. 

"I still found you."

"Yes," she hissed, "I remember. I remember you hunting me; laying waste to your own country, your own _people_ — all on the whim of a mad Emperor.  Just  before you murdered your own father." 

A muscle jumped in Ben's jaw, but his only response was to remove his hand from hers. 

"You don't think I'm lying."

"What?" she asked.

"You don't think I'm lying," he continued, "About Luke."

Her mouth drew into a thin line. It was her turn to stay silent. He watched her  closely, eyes trailing her mouth, her neck. Heat flooded her cheeks at his attention.

"Let the past die. Kill it, if you have to." 

She laughed. It was a harsh sound, cold and tinny in the small room, drawing a flinch from his hulking shoulders.

"What do you want from me?" she asked. 

"I told you," he said, "Stay."

She raised her wrists, looking at the expanse of unshackled skin.

"Do I have a choice?" 

 

— — —

 

"Will he kill her?" 

A deep frown settled into the lines of Leia's face. Youth had fled her visage, but her beauty remained, stoic and unyielding.  Just  like her.

"No," she said, answering Finn's question with sharp eyes.  He and Poe bowed before her throne, while Luke stood  idly  by, watching the exchange with  seemingly  disinterested eyes. But she knew better. 

"How can you be sure?" asked Finn, worry bending his brow.

"It would make no sense," interrupted Poe, "Snoke needs her alive, at least until after they're wed.  Preferably, until she produces an heir."

Horror blossomed on Finn's face, and he gulped  loudly.

"Poe is right," said Leia, voice tired. "Rey is safe... for now. And she's well-trained for this. While it was reckless of her to go on her own, she stands a good chance of killing Snoke — especially once they're wed." 

For a long moment, the Great Room was thick with silence. Leia let her words percolate; she _wanted_ these men to understand Rey's sacrifice.

If there had to be one.

"Poe, Finn — prepare to leave. You'll need to enter the city during nightfall." 

"We're going after her?" asked Poe. Leia nodded,  slowly.

"Not alone," Leia continued, "I'm sending one of my Council with you. Ematt will take command while you're in _Iza_. For now, I  just  want you to find a way to make contact with her. No doubt she's already in the palace — we can and should use that to our advantage." 

Both men bowed, then left the room, hurrying to gather all they would need to infiltrate the enemy's capital city. 

Leia looked at her brother, deep brown eyes settling on his, blue as the sky he commanded. 

"She knows by now."

Her twin's voice was rough with feeling; like the scratching of pen on parchment. 

"Yes." 

"I should go with them."

"No," Leia said, shaking her head, "No. You're too recognizable, and too valuable."

Luke arched a thick eyebrow, his beard twitching. 

"...There's another way."

 

— — —

 

Her wedding gown wasn't red.

Well, not _all_ red.

Rey stared at the white silk threaded with gold and crimson in the shape of the sun and starbursts.

"Do you like it, Empress?"

Rose's voice was small, but  unabashedly  curious as she fitted Rey in the layers and layers of fabric; draping and wrapping every piece so the garment clung to her. 

Paige, meanwhile, hovered near Rey's face, pinning her hair into intricate braids woven with red and gold thread.  At Rose's words, Rey saw Paige shoot her sister a look of warning.

"Apologies, Empress. My sister is still learning that she should not speak unless spoken to."

"Don't apologize," Rey insisted, "I want to hear you speak."

Paige lowered her head,  demurely.

"Yes, Empress."

Rey tried to clear her throat; for some reason, it felt like her heart lived there, now. 

"It's... beautiful. Thank you, Rose."

The girl smiled.

"Kissed by sun and starlight," she said,  softly. "This is why the _Iza_ people will worship you, Empress."

Rey's breath caught in her chest again, so she nodded.

Time passed in dollops as the two women readied her, attempting to make her beautiful; a bride worthy of _Iza_.  One moment, she was staring at her reflection, unable to recognize herself — and the next, they were leading her to the front of the _Shiro_ , toward the palace balcony, where she would make her vows in front of an entire country.

They stopped in front of bamboo screens that shielded her from view, but she could hear them on the other side.

"It's time, Empress." 

Rey nodded, stepping forward, her limbs heavy. Both sisters stayed behind. 

Taking a deep breath, Rey stepped outside, into the balmy air of the Night City, to the roar of a crowd who would see her marry their Emperor.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> || NOTES
> 
>  _Susanoo_ — The Shinto god of the sea and storms.
> 
>  _Sābanto_ — A word for "servant" in Japanese.
> 
>  _Hakama_ — A type of traditional Japanese clothing; trousers. Rey is wearing a type called umanori; traditionally worn by field or forest workers, they're looser in the waist and narrower in the leg.
> 
>  _Shimaihagi_ — A type of fishing boat from the Tohoku region of northern Japan. The name means, literally, "four boards put together," referring to the planking.
> 
>  
> 
> ***Another Note! According to my research, in many Asian cultures (particularly in China), the color white is a mourning color, symbolizing death. In the context of Iza and Asu within this world, it is significant that Rey’s wedding attire is white, but that will be addressed in later chapters. For reference, her robes/gown in my mind’s eye are greatly inspired by/resemble Avatar Roku’s wife’s in Avatar: The Last Airbender, because hello, gorg. You can check it out [here](https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/avatar/images/0/0b/Fire_Nation_marriage.png/revision/20130614060800?path-prefix=answers).
> 
>  
> 
> — — —
> 
> So, these kids are getting hitched. BUT HOW DOES REY REALLY FEEL?
> 
> Thank you for reading! I'd love to hear your thoughts in a comment or hit me up on [Tumblr](http://rebelrebelreylo.tumblr.com/) or [Twitter](https://twitter.com/rebelrebelreylo) @rebelrebelreylo.
> 
> Check out the playlist for this fic [here](https://open.spotify.com/user/jct1dm8alp830w7tcgg635ujj/playlist/02POQ0A4nSLOghKF22AUjh).
> 
> Finally, if you're enjoying this story and want to get email notifications when it's updated, please feel free to hit that Subscribe button! Thanks again, everyone. :)


	8. hachi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You won't do it."
> 
> A soft sound of indignation erupted from her throat, and the rage bubbled back up, scorching her veins.
> 
> "I don't need a blade to kill you, Ben," she said, voice low. 
> 
> The ghost of a smirk tugged at the side of his mouth.
> 
> "I know."
> 
> A beat, two breaths. Then Rey inhaled; a mistake — she was assaulted by his scent; mint, and the fresh magic of the forest. 
> 
> “No. I haven’t decided.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for your continued support! I hope you enjoy this chapter. :D A special thanks to my Head Fam at TWD, [MidnightBlueFox](https://archiveofourown.org/users/midnightbluefox/works) and [LoveofEscapism](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LoveofEscapism/pseuds/LoveofEscapism/works) for helping motivate me to continue writing this.

 

“That’s Admiral Holdo?” 

Finn's eyes found the woman walking toward them — tall and proud, with plum robes she wore like royalty. Light hair and eyes contrasted a sharp, steady gaze as she approached, followed closely by a young woman carrying her _nimotsu_.

"Think so," muttered Finn.

"Not what I was expecting,” said Poe. His tone was soft as a summer breeze blowing across the sea, but his eyes were cool. 

Still, he strode forward to greet her, bowing at the waist. Finn followed suit, but unlike Poe, he waited until she spoke before he raised his head.

"Commander. Captain."

Finn looked back up, noting her quick appraisal.

"Admiral," replied Poe. His tone was clipped, but respectful, and for that Finn was grateful.

"Are you both ready to go?" she asked. 

"Whenever you are," replied Poe, eyeing the silent woman behind her. Finn recognized her — Kaydel, a scribe for the Council — but she kept her eyes pointed toward her feet.

Holdo nodded, then motioned the girl forward, who handed her things over.  

"Admiral, I can — " Finn started, reaching his hands out.

"Nonsense," smiled Holdo, shouldering her pack. "My arms work." 

She turned back to Poe.

"Lead the way, Commander." 

 

— — —

 

Faces.

That's all Rey could see — a sea of faces, upturned and gaping at her with curious eyes. She drew in a jagged breath, feeling it slice her insides as easy as ribbons. 

The faces blurred in front of her, becoming an undulating, endless mass — writhing and roiling in the streets below the balcony of the Palace, whispering and murmuring as she stepped forward to meet their new Emperor. 

With a jolt, she remembered who she was supposed to be looking at. 

Her eyes found Ben's. He trapped her with them — dark and viscous as ever — pulling her forward until she was standing across from him, in front of everyone, only a few feet apart. He held his palms out to her, naked and pale against the black silk of his _haori_.

Carefully, she shrugged her long sleeves back, placing her hands in his. They were warm. Resting in his, hers looked so small. 

Rey tore her eyes away from him, taking in the _kannushi_  flanking Ben's right. If not for the bright red thread woven around the priest's hands, Rey wouldn't have noticed him. In front of them stood the altar, sprinkled with salt and rice, bearing cups of _sake_ and glistening fruit, tended to by an ancient, tiny woman with eyes that saw too much — the _miko_. 

The woman peered back at her, and Rey looked away, flinching, fingers twitching in Ben's palms. He noticed; tracing soft thumbs across her skin.

She met his eyes again, lips parting slightly at the sensation. A coil wound tightly in her belly, but she ignored it.

She knew his hands would still be soft.

She couldn't dwell. A hush had fallen over the eager crowd; the _kannushi_  was beginning the ceremony. Rey watched as he raised an intricately carved  _shakuhachi_ to his lips, then began to play.

 

— — —

 

_"You look handsome, Nioi."_

_Ben jerked away from his mirror, turning to find Rey leaning casually against the door to his rooms, arms crossed in front of her chest._

_"Rey!" he said, eyes raking over her. It'd only been a few months since she'd returned to Shima, but she already looked so...different. He couldn't seem to stop staring at all of the parts of her that reminded him she was close to her own Naming Day._

_He gulped, shaking his head._

_"What are you doing here?"_

_"I couldn't miss your 18th Naming," she said, rolling her eyes at him. "Plutt and I just arrived. I'm supposed to be changing right now, but — "_

_Just then, shouts erupted from down the hall, and Rey's eyes widened in recognition._

_"My cue," she grumbled. "See you in a bit, Nioi."_

_She smiled at him, and he was suddenly a lot more nervous than he had been._

 

_— — —_

 

_An hour later, Ben was still nervous. So nervous he was finally earning Rey's nickname._

_Sweat trickled down the back of his neck, skidding down his skin and leaving a cold trail underneath his robes, but he couldn't try to swipe it away — not with sleeves so heavy and everyone's eyes on him._

_So he ignored his discomfort, focusing instead on putting one foot in front of the other as he took slow, measured steps toward his mother's throne under a boiling sun._

_Leia Organa, Hime of Asu, watched her son's precarious climb up, up, up hundreds of stone steps to where she sat waiting, cross-legged and head bowed in prayer. Below them, the city breathed; thousands and thousands of eyes boring into Ben's back as he ascended Amaterasu's temple._

_When he finally reached the top, his own breath came in short spurts, but he managed to ignore the stitch in his side as he, too, bent his body into a low bow._

_There, strapped to his back, Ben bore the weight of his grandmother’s blade; gold and glinting in the afternoon sun._

_Leia raised her head, showing smiling eyes._

_Carefully, he unsheathed the weapon, laying it at his mother’s feet._

_“Rise, Ben Organa, of House Amidala and Sky; my son and my heir; my light in darkness.”_

_Ben rose gracefully, legs steady, and Leia’s smile bloomed across the apples of her cheeks as she looked up at her son._

_“Today, you are a man.”_

_— — —_

_Later, after speaking with his mother and the Council, he finally found her._

_Unsurprisingly, she was skulking in a corner of the Great Room, but for once, she wasn't being trailed by Kaydel or Jyn. Instead, she was surrounded by two of Dameron’s guard; men Ben had seen, but barely recognized._

_And she was_ laughing _._

_The difference of a few months was even more evident when she smiled. That, and the intricate kimono she’d changed into for the ceremony; deep blue and brushed with the thousand other colors of a rising sun._

_Grimacing, he stalked over to them._

_“Ben!” Rey smiled, eyes alight with mirth as he approached._

_“Congratulations, Ōji,” said the first guard, inclining his head. The second guard murmured his agreement. Ben gave a curt nod. He didn’t like the look in the second guard’s eyes; too keen, too quiet._

_“Leave us.”_

_Both men nodded, bowing again before obeying his order. Ben slipped his hand around Rey’s wrist and tugged her slightly closer; enjoying how she looked surprised at the touch._

_“Ben,” she chastised, eyes flitting about the room. But she didn’t pull away._

_“Who were they?” he asked._

_Rey frowned._

_“Mitaka? Andor? You know them, Ben.”_

_“Why were you talking to them?” he asked, stroking the vein in her wrist, painted a pale indigo underneath his thumb._

_“Because they were talking to me, Nioi,” she said, her eyes fixed on his fingers. She still wore a frown._

_“What does it matter?”_

_“It doesn’t,” he blurted, dropping her wrist. He glanced away, avoiding her searching eyes, then ran a hand through his hair._

_“I don’t know. I just didn’t like the way they were looking at you. Especially the second one.”_

_“Cassian,” she corrected him. “And he wasn’t looking at me.”_

_Ben rolled his eyes, still looking at the floor instead of her._

_“When do you go back?” he asked._

_“The day after tomorrow.”_

_His eyes flicked up to hers again, sad and sparkling in the dying afternoon light._

_“Why so soon?” he asked. The words stuck in his throat; making him want water. Why was his mouth suddenly so dry?_

_She shrugged._

_“Plutt.”_

_Ben made a noise halfway between a groan and a growl._

_“I don’t understand it. Why can’t you just stay here all year? Now that I’ve been Named...”_

_He didn’t finish the thought, and it was Rey’s turn to look away; a blush coloring her cheeks._

_Ben bit the inside of his cheek, then glanced around, looking for his mother, but didn’t see her anywhere amongst the crowd of courtiers._

_“Come on,” he said, grabbing Rey’s wrist again._

_“Where are we go — ”_

_“To find my mother.”_

_He dragged her through the Great Room, dodging people until they’d wound their way out of one of the room’s many screened doorways, emerging in a corridor he knew would take them to his mother’s receiving room._

_Sure enough, as they approached the entrance, they heard voices. They both stilled to listen._

_“She’s less than a year away from her own Naming; less than a year away from marrying age. It makes no sense to keep her there.”_

_“She is my ward,” rumbled the lazy, scathing voice of Unkar Plutt, “My property to sell, Hime.”_

_“Watch your tongue, Plutt,” growled the voice of Han, “You’re in our city, and my army is at your back.”_

_“Yes,” said Plutt, “But Snoke is only a stone’s throw away, and if anything happens to Rey or me while we’re here — including her kidnap — well, he’ll have Shima. My men will see to that."_

_The room rang with a silent promise, and Ben could feel Rey’s nails digging into the meat of his forearm._

_“Surely you don’t mean to give to her to Snoke,” said Leia, ice coating her words, “She's been betrothed to our Ben since her birth.”_

_“Yes,” said a new voice — one they both knew well; weathered with faith. “Her grandfather and his children would rather die than see her wed to that snake.”_

_Plutt laughed, a sluggish, sinuous spewing from bloated lips._

_“You would know, wouldn’t you, Skywalker?” said Plutt, “Kenobi is long dead; his opinion holds no weight.”_

_Luke laughed too, then, cold and harsh._

_“You’re a bigger fool than even I thought, Plutt. Spew venom all you like while he watches you in Yomi-no-kuni.”_

_There was a sound akin to the rustle of fabric, but then it was his mother who spoke._

_“What is it you want, Plutt?” commanded Leia._

_There was a brief pause. Ben could see the room in his mind’s eye: his mother, seated straight-backed and proud; his father next to her, a hand on her shoulder; and Luke, aging and ageless as he prowled the room... All the while, Plutt standing smug before them, holding everything they wanted in his fat fingers._

_He just wanted Rey._

_“No wedding before her Naming,” said Plutt, smacking his lips loud enough for them to hear, “A title, and lands, and any girl of yours for my choosing. Rey is only untouched because of the value of her virginal cu — ”_

_Plutt’s words were cut short when a snarl sounded, deep and rumbling like a river over rocks._

_“I said watch your tongue,” warned Han, voice soft with malice. His great beast growled, and Ben felt Rey relax her grip on his arm just slightly._

_“You will have what you wish, Plutt. But your investment — and ours — is better protected here than in Shima. Rey’s 16th Naming is only months away — ”_

_“Leave her there,” interrupted Luke._

_Ben felt Rey freeze next to him, but he couldn’t meet her eyes._

_“What?” argued Leia, anger seeping into her voice for the first time._

_“Let Plutt keep her in Shima until her Naming. As you said, it isn’t long. Until then, she only serves as a distraction to Ben; he’s no Skywalker yet.”_

_“You'll have what your greed demands you take,” he finished, his last words for Plutt._

_“We’ll discuss in the morning,” said Leia, her tone brokering no argument. “Today my son has become a man; we do him dishonor by shunning him here. We must return to the festivities.”_

_As the group made to move, Ben pulled Rey away again, hurrying her further down the hall and back toward the Great Room._

_“Let’s not go back,” Rey pleaded, pulling him the opposite direction, “Please.”_

_So he followed her down another few corridors until they emerged outside in the palace gardens, Lady Dusk painting the sky with pinks and purples above the sinking sun._

_Together, they sat in silence on the steps leading down to the cherry blossom trees, watching the sunset._

_“I’ll see you in a year?” Rey asked, her voice quiet._

_Ben considered her. Carefully, he curled a stray hair of hers around his finger before tucking it back behind her ear._

_“No. I’ll make sure it’s sooner.”_

_And it was._

 

— — — 

 

It had been over a year since Finn had journeyed to the Night City.  

Then, they'd kept to the outskirts; close to the bay and the hulking forest that surrounded Snoke's _Shinto_. There had been no need to set foot in the city itself.

He'd known what to expect — had heard the stories; the warnings — but he was still unprepared for what they found when they made landfall.

It was... _beautiful_.

Light danced across the obsidian earth, beating a red pulse against his throat, piercing through the curling mists that sighed from the trees of the _Taiheiyo_. With every step, it was more distracting and mesmerizing and intoxicating... But it was still beautiful. It was ironic, but everywhere he looked, there it was: light, flickering in the swirling darkness. 

And the people — the people they passed as he, Poe, and Holdo dug their way deeper into the city were so  _ordinary_. 

In the rage of battle, he'd only seen _Iza ashigaru_ shrouded in black death; skin shielded from _Amaterasu's_ blessing, an armor he couldn't understand. Here, though — in the cool fog, under the moonlit sky, Finn saw no difference between these people and his own. They spoke the same, laughed the same; traded rumors and swapped stories from street to street. 

...As if they didn't shun sunlight, didn't die faster each day without _Amaterasu_  smiling down on their souls. 

It puzzled him. It worried him. But he said nothing. 

Soldiers didn't need to speak.

"We should follow the crowd." 

Poe glanced toward Holdo, a crease in his brow. They'd planned to meander their way toward the Market District to look for an inn; something cheap, where gold meant more than their foreign faces. 

"Admiral, with all due respect, we look suspicious as it is — "

"I know," she cut him off, eyes still forward, "But _look_ , Dameron. The people are congregating at the palace."

Finn's eyes widened. He thought of Rey, and pain twisted his gut into a knot.

"Does that mean — "

"Yes," said Holdo, smoothly gliding forward into the cluster of bodies. "It seems the wedding is about to start."

As they made their way closer to the city center, the once-distant palace loomed larger and larger, until finally, he could just make out the people on the highest balcony.

Finn’s jaw dropped, and he blinked in confusion. Next to him, Poe froze, then clapped a hand on his shoulder so he couldn’t move. To his left, the Admiral’s mouth had tightened into a thin line.

“Is that...?”

“Kylo Ren,” whispered Poe. “And Rey.”

“Where’s Snoke?” asked Finn, staring up at them as the _Iza_  priest wound red thread around Rey and Ren’s hands. He’d never seen the leader of _Sōhei Ronin's_  face before; even from afar, he looked so... _young_. And there was something  _familiar_ about him.

“Hush,” Holdo warned, her eyes hard, “Not here.” She glanced around them furtively.

“But — ”

“ _Listen_.”

All around them, murmured conversation buzzed as the  _kannushi_  continued the ceremony. As he watched Rey and Ren drink the traditional  _sake_ , Finn obeyed the Admiral and listened. 

"The  _Shōgun_ said — "

"The Emperor is ill — "

"Kissed by the sun and starlight, but unburnt — "

"But what about Snoke — ?"

"A new Emperor... And Empress." 

And so they were, bowing before  _Tsukiyomi_ and bound by a red string as the priest proclaimed them husband and wife. 

 

— — —

 

When the ceremony was over, he didn't lead her back to her room. Instead, they were shepherded to a suite too large and grand to be anything other than rooms intended for the Emperor and his bride.

Servants fled once they were inside; the suite itself more scarlet dotted with oil lamps and low furniture, including a large bed in the center of the main room. Rey hoped Rose and Paige would emerge from one of the side rooms, but no one came.

They were alone.

She turned toward the bed, resting a hand on one of the posts, unsure what to do. Her gown was stifling; forcing heat into her cheeks. She stiffened when she felt him at her back.

His bare hands snaked against her skin, skimming the column of her throat. She held still, swallowing hard to stop herself from making any sound as his fingers grazed her hairline, then dipped underneath her collar.

Gently, he removed each piece of her gown, soft breaths burning the back of her neck. Deft fingers unwrapped cords, untied ties, and slipped layer after layer away from her skin until she was left in only her silk shift. 

“Did you decide yet?”

His hands stilled on her shoulders, heavy and warm. 

"W-what?" she asked. The word got caught in her throat. She didn't move; she _couldn't_ move. She couldn't even look at him. If she looked, she might remember that he was still Ben; she might see _him_ in his _eyes_ , might give in to the desire blazing in her belly that was somehow still there, so many years later, even after everything. 

So she closed her eyes and imagined his hands were the claws of a shadow  _kami_ , brittle and bruising, ready to snap her bones into ash. 

"Did you decide whether or not you're going to kill me yet?"

His hands slid away from her, but she knew he didn't move away. She could still feel him breathing. The heat near her navel roared up to her heart, and she spun to face him, ready to spit fire. Her rage cooled when she saw his eyes — accusatory, but brimming with sorrow, and just as much _her_ Ben as she knew they would be.

Her words died in her throat, and she stared at him. He returned the attention; studying every inch of her face.

"You won't do it."

A soft sound of indignation erupted from her throat, and the rage bubbled back up, scorching her veins.

"I don't need a blade to kill you, Ben," she said, voice low. 

The ghost of a smirk tugged at the side of his mouth.

"I know."

A beat, two breaths. Then Rey inhaled; a mistake — she was assaulted by his scent; mint, and the fresh magic of the forest. 

“No. I haven’t decided.” 

He nodded, rolling his shoulders; another echo. Then, he raised his hands, and she flinched, and he hesitated, but then her face was in his hands and his breath was shaky on her nose.

"Let me touch you." 

He closed his eyes to wait for her answer, and she suddenly wished she could see them again. His hands were even warmer on her face; and again, so _large_. She could feel them trembling.

"You could command it."

His eyes snapped open, and the pain in them was sharp and inky, spreading darkness over the flecks of light normally there. He said nothing, just searched her face for an answer. 

She didn't know which one to give.

"How can I grasp a shadow?"

That night, Rey slept alone, and so did he.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> || NOTES
> 
>  _Nimotsu_ — A Japanese word for luggage.
> 
>  _Haori_ — The "shirt" portion of a traditional Shinto wedding kimono, worn by the groom.
> 
>  _Kannushi_ — The priest, or person responsible for the maintenance of a Shinto shrine as well as for leading worship of a given kami. They are also called shinshoku.
> 
>  _Miko_ — In Shinto, a miko is a shrine (jinja) maiden or a supplementary priestess.
> 
>  _Shakuhachi_ — A Japanese longitudinal, end-blown bamboo-flute used in traditional Japanese music that might be performed at a Shinto ceremony.
> 
>  _Ashigaru_ — The ashigaru were foot-soldiers employed by the samurai class of feudal Japan. In the context of this story, they are the same; both Iza and Asu employ foot soldiers in their respective armies.
> 
>  _Ōji_ — A word for "prince" in Japanese.
> 
> || ABOUT THE WEDDING...
> 
> The wedding in this story includes elements from a traditional Shinto ceremony but also includes other elements; most notably, the inclusion of the red string of fate. If you're interested in viewing a Shinto ceremony performed today, I found a great video that shows the customs in detail [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeJQMvydpzQ).
> 
> — — —
> 
> Did you really think they'd consummate so soon? I AM NOT THAT NICE, KIDS.
> 
> Also, you may notice that the chapter count has gone up to 20. Still my best estimation; it could still increase.
> 
> Thank you for reading! I'd love to hear your thoughts in a comment or hit me up on [Tumblr](http://rebelrebelreylo.tumblr.com/) or [Twitter](https://twitter.com/rebelrebelreylo) @rebelrebelreylo.
> 
> Check out the playlist for this fic [here](https://open.spotify.com/user/jct1dm8alp830w7tcgg635ujj/playlist/02POQ0A4nSLOghKF22AUjh).
> 
> Finally, if you're enjoying this story and want to get email notifications when it's updated, please feel free to hit that Subscribe button! Thanks again, everyone. :)


	9. kyū

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kylo's fingernails dug painfully into his palms as he watched Rey scurry back toward the _Shiro_ , boldly dancing on the wind as she did. She still wore just her shift; indecent by the standards of _Iza_ , but free, and beautiful, as she always was.
> 
> Fear and amusement gripped him, pinning him there as he watched her. His wife. 
> 
> His wife who might still murder him. And he'd let her, if she tried. But she hadn't.
> 
> Not yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This got away from me, but I hope it was in the best way. Unbeta'ed, if you see typos, please let me know so I can fix!

 

_Creeeeeeaaak_. 

The sound scratched at the inside of Kylo's eyelids; fingernails forcing him awake. Breathing roughly, he untangled long limbs and blinked up at the intruder who'd found his makeshift bedroom.

It was one of Rey's serving women; the small one. And she was staring at him with wide eyes. 

" _Tennō_ ," she let slip, her lips curling around the title, obscured slightly by the black silk wrapped around her throat.

Color crept into Kylo's cheeks; he knew his ears burned red, so he silently thanked  _Tsukiyomi_ for the darkness, where this girl couldn't see. 

Still, no reprimand coated his tongue. He bit the inside of his cheek instead, reveling in the ability to do _something_  with his mouth.

"Forgive me," mumbled the girl. Her eyes darted all over the room — if you could call a supply closet a _room_ — seeking something that wasn't her Emperor, oversized and ungainly on top of his borrowed  _goza_. 

He avoided her gaze, looking instead at his naked hands. Finally, he managed to string a sentence together.

"Did you need something?"

"Just...just the  _Hōki_."

She pointed, but he didn't look. 

"Find another," he grunted, scrambling to stand. She watched him, eyes still wide with surprise, but then seemed to come to herself, nodding and bowing her head. He could taste her sudden desperation to be below him in the stale air; the sourness of it twisted his stomach.

"Yes,  _Tennō_ , of course. Please, forgive me, I — "

"Go."

She did without a backward glance. 

Kylo waited a full minute before extracting himself from the too-small room. Thankfully, the girl had vanished. He sighed in relief, breathing in the heady beginnings of a cool night set to steal the sun from the sky. He couldn't see it, of course, but he still knew. 

Blinking, he tried to banish the last tendrils of sleep still clouding his eyes as he stalked down the empty corridor.

The next day, he would need to find another hidden place to sleep, however little. Perhaps he'd strayed too far from the Emperor's suite, but the sting of rejection still caught in his chest, stifling and spreading poison to his heart.

He clenched his hands into fists; wishing for his gloves. He needed to return, no matter if hazel eyes — so sad, so _sharp_  — waited for him there. He didn't want to be seen still in his wedding robes a day after the ceremony, rooms away from his wife.

_His wife._  

Rey was his _wife_.

Unbidden, flashes of the previous night slithered into his mind's eye, quick as a  _kami_  dancing between shadows. Her gown, ornamental and heavy, obscuring skin brushed with _Amaterasu's_ color; her neck, long and spotted with freckles more like stars; her bare shoulders, so _small_ under his hands. 

He paused, fists trembling. He needed air. Dusk was close; he could feel it crawling across _Sarutahiko's_  wise face, settling into all his smooth lines, all his cracks. He glanced around; he was close to the  _Shinto's_  lowest balcony, and the early hour meant he had time before the rest of the palace woke.

Swiftly, he shifted toward the balcony, hesitating at the still-closed screens; those that hid the city — and the light — from view. He waited for the whisper to come, but no god spoke. 

He frowned, pushing open the nearest screen. He didn't step into waning sunlight, but he watched it die.

Outside, the city was hushed; people sleeping away the day, or hiding inside, waiting for the safety they believed in to cloak the earth in darkness. None dared walk in the light, for fear they'd dissolve into ash under the Sun Goddess's glare.

Except for one... His _wife_.

Kylo's fingernails dug painfully into his palms as he watched Rey scurry back toward the _Shiro_ , boldly dancing on the wind as she did. She still wore just her shift; indecent by the standards of _Iza_ , but free, and beautiful, as she always was.

Fear and amusement gripped him, pinning him there as he watched her. His wife. 

His wife who might still murder him. And he'd let her, if she tried. But she hadn't.

Not yet.

“So... that’s what a _Skywalker_  looks like in the light of the day.”

Kylo recoiled, pulling his hand back from the screen edge just as Hux sauntered up to him.

“Not nearly as terrifying as Snoke would have this country believe,” murmured the _Shōgun_.

Kylo didn’t look at him. Instead, he stared resolutely forward as night fell in front of them, oil spilling across the sky.

Below, Rey disappeared into the gaping maw that was the Shiro’s entrance. Next to him, Hux hummed something cloying; a sweet melody he shouldn’t know, but Kylo held his tongue.

He could play Hux’s game. He intended to.

But Rey... 

 

— — —

 

When she slept, a beast stalked her dreams. 

He prowled and pranced, bearing teeth that gleamed ivory in the gloom; his yellow eyes burning stars in the blackness of the void. 

Where was she? 

_Nowhere._

Who was she? 

_No one._  

No, no. That wasn't true. She was someone, and she was somewhere, and —

She could _feel_  his breath on her back, hot and damp, spewing spittle across her exposed neck. She had to run, had to flee, had to hide —

A voice reached out —

_Rey!_  

Rey woke with a jolt, slamming her head against the bottom of the bed. Sweating and shaking, she cursed, then squeezed herself out from underneath the bed frame. Into the open. 

It didn't matter. She didn't even need to glance around the room to know Ben wasn't there. Still shaking, she let her shoulders sag with relief. The cold sweat on her neck dripped down her back, and more than anything, she longed for the open air.

She clutched her shift with one hand, thinking hard. Rising, she held tight to the silk between her fingertips, then slunk out of the room.

As soon as she emerged in the corridor, she knew it must still be daylight outside. Ben was gone, and the palace slept on, happy to miss the light of day.

But she wasn't. 

So she stole through the halls, creeping the same as she had that first night over a year ago, looking for an exit. This time, though, she let herself linger; taking in the intricate details of the famed _Shiro_. 

It was sparser than she'd expected, but still more luxurious than any home she'd had on _Shima_ or  _Kaiyō_. It didn't compare to the airy, sky-colored rooms of Leia's palace — it was too dark, and too _red_ , and too claustrophobic, closed in like a cage — but it was still beautiful, in a way that was stark... like the moon against the night sky. 

Or pink lips on a pale face.

By the time she found the entrance to the Red Palace, her sweat had grown cold on her skin. She shivered in her light shift and didn't stop to think as she pulled open one of the heavy doors. 

_Amaterasu_ shone on her face, greeting her with a soft smile, and Rey sighed. The light, the warmth, the energy washed over her; soothing the turmoil tearing away at her insides. 

She spun out into the growing twilight, landing on light feet as she skimmed the sky, soaking up as much sun as she could. Ahead of her was the city, breathing in their night, still dreaming. She was alone. She was _free_.  

She paused, then slipped forward into the  _Iza_ capital wearing curious eyes.

 

— — —

 

"I don't like this."

"Of course you don't. None of us do, Commander. That's not the point."

Finn frowned at both Poe and the Admiral, watching them bicker back-and-forth as he stood by the window, closed tight to the sun outside. He didn't see the point either if he was honest — but it wasn't his place to speak.

Still, they were stuck. Stuck inside a tiny room, in a shanty of an inn. Stuck together in a city that would skewer them alive if they knew where they were _really_  from. Stuck arguing over how they should proceed — how to get a message to the _Hime_ now that Rey was married to Kylo Ren, and not the Emperor.  

Fury laced through Finn at the thought; at the memory of her hands in his. How she'd been forced to stand there, subservient to the monster who'd killed Han; a man more father to her than her own could’ve been. The monster who'd killed Han’s son, her betrothed. Anger roiled in his belly at the notion that she had likely already shared a bed with that man; was forced to lie with him; risk bearing his child...  

Bile rose in Finn's throat, and he couldn't stay silent.

"Why should the plan change?" he interrupted. 

Their murmur of conversation died as they turned to the younger man; the foot soldier in a ceaseless war.

“What do you mean?” asked Poe. Holdo said nothing, but her violet eyes surveyed Finn with interest.

“Exactly what I said,” continued Finn, “Why should our plan change? We make contact with Rey. She’s still in a strategic position. She can still kill Snoke. Even better, she can kill his rabid dog." 

Poe frowned at that, while Holdo raised an eyebrow. Finn didn’t understand.

“What?” he asked, “We can’t just sit here debating over what to do forever. Our lives are at risk. _Asu_  is at risk. And worst of all, Rey is at risk; wed to that... That... _monster_.”

Poe averted his gaze, and Holdo bent forward, resting her head on delicate hands. 

"Yes," she murmured, "But _why_?"

"You know why, Admiral," Poe bit back, his tone edging away from what would be considered the appropriate respect. Finn expected Holdo to flinch; to _move_ , even, but she didn't even spare the Commander a glance. She simply stared straight ahead, as if wading through memory.

"Do I?" she asked. The question seemed more to herself than either of them. 

Finn's frown deepened. He turned away from them both, barely able to see through his anger at their indifference; their unwillingness to _explain_. Seething, unthinking, he tugged at the shade covering the window. 

A strip of sunlight fell across his eye, blinding him a little. Blinking the water away, he peered outside. Was that something... _moving_? Daylight was nearly done, but the sun was still setting...  

"Finn, close that!" 

A streak against the watercolor sky; a blur blazing in front of blues, purples, and hazy pinks inking into night.

Finn moved to push the whole shade aside, but Poe came up behind him, shutting it with a soft _swish_.

Shame licked at Finn's lips, drying out the corners, and he lowered his head.  

"We have to be careful," Poe said, voice quiet, but firm. Finn nodded, letting his hands fall to his sides.

Poe clapped his hand on Finn's shoulder, steering him away from the window until they sat together, across from Holdo, who hadn't moved. Instead, she watched them thoughtfully, dragging a finger across her cheek. 

“No contact, not yet,” she said. Poe opened his mouth to argue, but she shot him a look so final his jaw snapped shut.

“We wait. For now. And find a way to send a message to Leia.”

 

— — —

 

The _Iza_  capital was a city of spirits.

Not truly, Rey knew that, but it felt haunted as she streamed through — all people fled inside their homes, shrinking away from day. It was a strange sight: abandoned streets and shuttered shops. And so much _silence_.

It was almost like walking through a dream... Or a nightmare. One she always had, where she was always alone. 

But this was real. This city was real, and so were the people in it, just hidden away in plain sight.

She didn’t know how long she meandered through the streets — time ebbed so strangely here, where everything was in reverse — but she’d left the palace just before sunset, and now, darkness was seeping across the sky.

Hastening, she flew back to the _Shiro_. Sweet sea air filled her lungs, gifting her the courage to return. The courage not to flee... Not yet. 

When she reached the palace steps, night had fallen, and _Tsukiyomi_ shone high overhead. Waiting for her on the steps stood two men: the  _Shōgun_ , wearing a slippery smile, and her husband, stoic and wearing his _Somen_.

She frowned at the sight.

“Ah, Empress,” said Hux, raising his arms in greeting. “Come inside, Your Majesty, come inside. We have much to discuss, and you are...in need of refreshment, I’m sure.” 

He eyed her shift, and her stomach roiled. Ben’s neck twitched toward the warlord, but then he turned away, stalking away from both of them and back inside.

Rey followed him, passing Hux without a word of acknowledgment. Across the palace threshold, Rose and Paige waited, stepping aside to let the Emperor pass.

Rey’s eyes narrowed at the sight, but she said nothing, passing through the women the same as he did. If he was angry at her for leaving the palace, he’d just have to —

He halted, so abrupt she almost smashed into his broad back, but she caught herself before she could. He turned to face her, masked eyes fathomless as he stared.

Gloved hands found her cheeks, and gently, he tipped her head up to his. Her lips parted in surprise at the casual touch. 

“You need to eat,” he murmured, his deep voice a soft rumble behind his mask, “Dress first, and I’ll see that it’s ready for you.”

His hands fell away, then so did he, disappearing into one of the many dark corridors. Rey watched him go, feeling the air she’d sought flee her lungs in one fell swoop.

 

— — —

 

A little while later, she was dressed and seated for breakfast with her husband and Hux, waiting for the ax to fall. 

Rose and Paige had helped her into another intricate gown of a _kimono_ , but she’d insisted on something much lighter than what she’d worn to her wedding. They’d obliged her, choosing the only airy option out of too-many heavy alternatives; a silk that felt sumptuous against her bare skin, a deep blue that was almost black, bearing the moon and scattered with stars. She’d worn things like it before, but it’d been so long...

She was pleased to see that Ben had removed his mask; his eyes cataloged every inch of her, but she pretended not to notice.

“You look beautiful.”

Rey raised her eyes to his, abandoning her plate. She held them for a moment, trying to understand what she saw inside, but then shrank back.

“Indeed, our Emperor has chosen a beautiful bride,” smarmed Hux, drawing her eyes to him.

He sat between them, smirking as he varied his gaze between the Imperial couple. Rey watched him, raising a sip of soup to her lips. 

“Thank you,” she said, after swallowing.

“You’re more than welcome, Majesty,” purred Hux. “I must say, I am surprised — but so _grateful_  — that you and our Emperor-to-be agreed to an audience so _soon_  after your nuptials.”

Rey frowned at that. Across the _chabudai_ , Ben’s jaw stiffened.

“What do you mean?” Rey asked. Impatience twisted her words, making them tight.

She was tired of this man’s game. It was time to get him to reveal what kind he was playing.

Hux’s eyebrows met his hairline, but his smirk only grew; venomous ivy creeping across his face.

“Clever, and beautiful. No wonder Snoke sought you so long,” he drawled, “Insolent, though, I think. Careful, Majesty — the _Hime_  of _Asu_ may have allowed this free speech, but I don’t abide it. You would do well to remember that I have the might of _Iza_  at my back.”

“And she is Empress,” interrupted Ben. 

“Obviously,” said Hux, his tone haughty, “Empress to an Emperor who has yet to be crowned. Don’t forget, Ren — you are not technically Emperor yet. The public still believes Snoke ails, and the  _daimyō_  are mine. I could unname you at any time.”

Rey shot Ben a look, but he didn’t look back at her. 

“You won’t,” countered Ben, truth spilling from heated lips, “The _Iza_  army follows _Tsukiyomi_ , and I am his heir.”

“And your wife is kissed by sun and starlight, heir to _Amaterasu_. Chosen to help end this war between light and dark. Did you like the tales I spun to win the love of the people for your _Shima_  scavenger, Ren?”

At that, Ben stood, shaking with anger, shadows coalescing all around him. Echoing howls erupted there, stirring the firelight flickering on the walls.  

“Enough.”

Rey’s voice rang throughout the room, clear and bright. A balm to Ben’s trembling fury.

The shadows circling his shoulders retreated, fading away, and the room stilled. He stayed standing, staring at Hux with a hatred she would’ve never thought him capable of.

But, that was before.

She turned to the  _Shōgun_.

“What do you want? If this is about today — ”

“It is,” Hux interrupted her, “But not in the way you think. Ren’s temper always eclipses his sense. If he’d allowed me to continue, I would’ve said that your stunt this morning was perfect.”

It was Rey’s turn to look surprised, something the warlord clearly delighted in. He chuckled coldly. 

“Yes. Flitting about the city, half-naked in sunlight... I’d say you more than dazzled the people, Empress.”

“But no one — ”

“Do not be so naive to think no one saw you, Majesty,” continued Hux, “You were seen many times over, I think. But it’s as I said — _perfect_ propaganda. A Skywalker who holds the deed to _Shima_ , skimming the air and unburnt under the sun. Now that you are wed to Ren, Master of the _Sōhei Ronin_ , the people shall see you both as deities destined to achieve balance, set to take control of this whole region... With my army at the forefront.”

His smirk curled into a sneer.

“ _Asu_  will not stand against the might of two Gods.”

Rey’s eyes widened at the open threat, her stomach twisting into tangles. She stared down at her soup, seeing nothing but Finn, and Leia, and Poe... and even Luke.

“Seek the sunlight all you like, Majesty,” said Hux, noisily slurping the last of his own breakfast, “It bodes well for our plans. First, ingratiate the people. They fear you now, but with guidance, they will worship you. They’re halfway to loving you already. Second, Ren shall be crowned Emperor, ending Snoke’s reign for good.” 

Hux glanced at Ben, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

“Admittedly, killing him was rash, but all in all, I think this _arrangement_  will do quite nicely.”

Hux’s cold eyes found hers again, swirling with a sparkling mirth that made her feel sick.

“Finally, we crush Skywalker’s  _Ikkō-ikki_ , and take _Asu_ in hand.”

The warlord smiled and stood. 

“Thank you, Your Majesties. I will take my leave; I have battle plans to draw for after Ren’s coronation, and I know you’ll have much to discuss... and, of course, much more  _activity_ is still needed if you’re to secure an heir for _Iza_  as well, hmm?”

With that, he swept from the room like a fruit bat in search of more succulent sweets than them. 

The silence was deafening. Thunder, a storm raged in her ears, drowning out all rational thought.

“Rey — ” 

“Don’t,” she hissed. She stood on shaky legs.

Across the table, Ben watched her with a closed-off expression. 

“So,” she started, voice low, burning her throat, “This was your plan all along, then. I knew... I heard... but I thought — ” 

Her voice broke, and he stood, too, starting to rush toward her, but she held up her arms with a snarl.

“No,” she growled, “Don’t come near me.”

He stopped halfway to her, hands twitching at his sides.

“I thought maybe you were still Ben,” she continued, voice trembling and hating herself for it, “But you’re not him, are you? You only saved me so you could continue to raze the countryside; cover it in darkness and death. I’m a tool to you, the same as Snoke. For revenge, for power...”

“No,” he growled, and how _dare_ _he be angry_ , but he was, and he was advancing on her, but she wasn’t afraid. She didn’t care if he was Kylo Ren, she wasn’t afraid of _him_.

“You’re doing it again, Rey. Why am I always surprised when you do? You’re _lying_. To yourself! You know I’ve never wanted you for power, never wanted _power_. You _know_  I’ve only ever wanted you.”

He was in front of her now, a mountain she couldn’t pass, a boy in a man’s body, angry and desperate and pleading with her, but she could barely see him.

“Well, things have obviously changed, haven’t they?” she hissed, trying to sidestep him, but he blocked her.

“No,” he insisted, “No, they haven’t. You’re right, you’ve always been a pawn in this game. You’ve always been nothing... to Plutt, my parents, Luke, Snoke, to all of them. Then and now." 

His hands were on her neck, fingers tracing her jaw. When had that happened? She shuddered, vision blurring with tears as he lowered his head to hers, _so close_ , as the pain of his words struck her.

“But not to me.”

Tentatively, he touched his lips to hers. 

The kiss was cold, but fire engulfed Rey anyway, spreading across her skin like she’d been doused with lamp oil, and she didn’t know what to do with it. She didn’t know her own mind at that moment when his skin met hers. 

So she ran.

 

— — —

 

Finn didn’t like disobeying direct orders. 

But for Rey... for Rey, he would disobey even Holdo. Even Poe.

That’s why he was waiting outside the _Shiro_  for any sign; any lead he could latch onto. He knew he didn’t have much time; he’d left their hovel of an inn when Poe had ventured out to find food, and Holdo had dozed off. They were all still adjusting to the nights as day and days as night.

_There._

Two women were leaving the palace from the same spot near the kitchens he'd found with Han over a year ago. They were talking quietly, wrapped in black and red silk up to their eyes, and heading toward the lights of the city.  

Finn followed. 

When they reached their destination — a tea shop close to the Red Palace — it was easy to slip inside after them, and take a seat a few tables away.

"She's trouble."

Finn's ears perked up as the taller of the two women spoke. Both fell silent as their server came to take their order, but as soon as she left, the other replied.

"I like her," said the second woman; much smaller than her companion. She was the one Finn could see from his current vantage point, while the other one had her back to him.

The girl had nice eyes; brown and blazing with a steady kindness he rarely saw anymore.

"Keep your voice down," warned the tall woman. "We must be careful; eyes are everywhere."

"The  _Shōgun_ — "

"Shh," insisted the tall one, "Not so loud, Rose." 

Rose... 

"The Empress has kind eyes," Rose continued in a hushed tone. Finn had to strain to hear, but he was close enough to catch it.

"And a soft heart," agreed the tall one. She sighed. "Which may just be her undoing."

"You mean..." said Rose, voice lowering even further, "If she is to kill Kylo Ren?"

The tall one nodded, and Finn's eyes widened.

He'd found his mark. 

 

— — —

 

That night, coiled and hidden underneath the Emperor’s bed, Rey slept.

Overheated and overstimulated, she slept roughly, with hands brushing her breasts and between her legs, scathing and cold all at once. Even unconscious, she couldn’t banish the thoughts of his hands, or his eyes, or his _mouth_.

Until, by some grace or curse, the same beast from the night before came to stalk her sleeping eyes.

It was like a veil being pulled back, or opening her eyes on a sunny morning. As soon as she saw the wolf, all heat left her, and she simply burned from the cold.

This time the beast’s sea-blue eyes were sad, and he sang a lone wolf’s song, calling her to enter his forest; the only place they might meet in slumber.

So she did, slipping through the ghost trees like a spirit herself, waxy and wavering between worlds.

She emerged in a clearing speckled with fireflies, a thousand burning suns — or _stars_  — granting her guidance in the dark. And there, standing next to Hago, was Luke.

The wolf-song ended, and her Master spoke to her while she slept.

“Rey...”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CHECK OUT THIS AMAZING CALLIGRAPHY THE UNPARALLELED [REYLOCALLIGRAPHY](https://archiveofourown.org/users/reylocalligraphy/pseuds/reylocalligraphy/works) MADE FOR THIS FIC!!! THANK YOU LOVE!
> 
>  
> 
> || NOTES
> 
>  _Tennō_ — Another word for Emperor in Japan; literally meaning, "heavenly sovereign." 
> 
> _Goza_ — Goza were a type of tatami mat, slept on by nobility and samurai, while those in lower classes slept on mats made of straw. Tatami mats, meanwhile, are a kind of rush flooring made of woven rush grass around a rice straw core, making them gentle but firm.
> 
>  _Hōki_ — A word for "broom" in Japanese.
> 
>  _Sarutahiko Ōkami_ — the god of the earth in Shinto, or the leader of the earthly kami (spirits).
> 
>  _Daimyō_ — In feudal Japan, they were the great lords who were vassals of the Shōgun, like the nobility in Great Britain. In this story, they're much the same.
> 
>  _Ikkō-ikki_ — In history, they were Jodo-Shinshu Buddhist warriors in feudal Japan who believed in salvation for all humanity. For the purpose of this story, they are the closest thing resembling the Jedi; i.e., the "Skywalkers," and worshippers of Amaterasu. Rey would be considered one, as is Luke.  
>   
> 
> — — —  
>   
> 
> So I didn't know there'd be a kiss this chapter, so hopefully, you didn't either, and don't think it's too soon. I figure if these kids are gonna start practicing for that heir soon, they need to get a little lip action in. ;)
> 
> Thank you for reading! I'd love to hear your thoughts in a comment or hit me up on [Tumblr](http://rebelrebelreylo.tumblr.com/) or [Twitter](https://twitter.com/rebelrebelreylo) @rebelrebelreylo. Check out the playlist for this fic [here](https://open.spotify.com/user/jct1dm8alp830w7tcgg635ujj/playlist/02POQ0A4nSLOghKF22AUjh). 
> 
> Finally, if you're enjoying this story and want to get email notifications when it's updated, please feel free to hit that Subscribe button! Thanks again, everyone. :)


	10. jū

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You're holding back," she snarled, "Fight me the way you'd fight an enemy."
> 
> "Why?" he asked, "So you can feel justified when you kill me?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been so long! Thanks for your patience, and I hope you enjoy.

 

"Rey..." 

"Luke," she said. She couldn't keep the wonder out of her voice.

He made no move toward her, but he still seemed to flicker, slightly — a hazy spirit in a sea of light. The light shed color on his skin, golden and glowing; otherwise, everything was muted, colorless and gray. Next to him, Hago was the same, save for his yellow eyes — and he looked more solid, more _real_.

Or, as real as anything could here.

"How did you...?"

Luke's beard twitched.

"With Hago's help," he said. His voice echoed around her; a drumbeat in her ears.

"I don't understand," she breathed. The words came out like white smoke; she could see them swirling close to her lips. 

"We are in a dream, Rey," Luke murmured. The softness of his voice did nothing to dampen the echo. "One of yours."

Her eyes drifted to Hago's, a burning amber in the blackness. The great  _ōkami_ stared back at her but made no sound. 

For the moment, she gave up on how.

"But...why?" she asked.

Her master sighed. His breath was the breeze blowing gently against her skin; all else was static. Every movement, every _twitch_ felt like a shudder in the stillness.

"To warn you," he said. "Of — "

Angry vines twisted and grew inside of her, spreading from her heart through her veins; weeds that bloomed from her blood.

"No," she said, " _No_. You've come to warn me about _Kylo Ren_."

All emotion fled Luke's face, but his Skywalker mask stayed firm as stone. Cruelly, she wondered if she could chip away at it.

"No. I didn't come to warn you about him. Rey, I know you — "

"Don't you dare," she interrupted. Her voice was a hiss, a slinking shadow in the hush. Luke's jaw snapped shut. 

"How could you?" she asked.  

He didn't answer her. He simply stared. She didn't know what was worse — his silence, or his inevitable explanations. _Excuses_.

"How could you not tell me he was alive?" she asked. Frost covered her words; the white smoke frozen and trailing between them. "How could you lie to us both? And Leia... Poe, Finn... _Han_..." 

Her voice broke on the last word, and Hago bowed his head, a low howl trembling from his throat.

"I don't have time to explain it to you now," Luke argued. Somehow, he kept his voice soft, even though each word stung. "Being here with you costs me more each moment I stay. Rey, you must _listen_ to me — " 

"No," she growled, "Why should I believe anything you say? Ben was right; I've always been a pawn to you. To _everyone_."

Luke's brow furrowed over sad eyes, etching the lines in his face even deeper. He didn't contradict her. 

"Ben?" he asked. Unlike his eyes, his voice was hard. "You've seen him, then?" 

"Yes," Rey spat, "He killed Snoke."

It was satisfying seeing the shock pass over Luke's face, even if it was short-lived. Like the tide stretching fingers into the sandy shore, it came and went too quickly.

"He killed Snoke," Luke repeated. " _Why_?"

Rey paused, the words gathering in the back of her throat, sticking. _Heavy_.

"To save me," she murmured. "So we could be together."

Luke's mouth twisted into a grimace; all trace of sadness gone. 

"The same reason he murdered Han, then."

Rey flinched at the memory. _The monster in black, dead or dying in the dirt, and her smile..._

When she didn't speak, Luke stole forward, grasping her hands in his cold ones. She stared down at them, unable to meet his eyes, but she didn't pull away.

"Listen to me, Rey. Finn, Poe, and Admiral Holdo are on their way to the _Iza_ capital. Make contact any way you can. They'll help you escape."

His voice was still quiet; _too_ quiet, as if he was far away even though he was standing right in front of her. She looked up — the trees were bending in another breeze; one that was stealing the world from all around her, scrubbing away the dream that surrounded them both. 

"You can't trust Ben, whatever he says," Luke continued, urgently now. 

He knew his time was nearly up. 

"He gave himself to the darkness a long time ago. He wants _power_. He may try to win you with words of love; to wed you, even, as you were once meant to, but — ”

"He did," Rey whispered. Luke grasped her hands tight, but he was fading away in front of her; the way the rains cleansed the earth, washing away all in their wake. He opened his mouth to speak, but his voice was fading, too — too small for her to hear.

“We did,” Rey said. “I’m his wife.”

When Rey opened her eyes, it was to a new sunset.  

 

— — —

 

Kylo didn’t sleep, but he did dream.

He snatched slumber during the hours of the sun whenever he could, but sleep mostly evaded him, and had for many years. And now, with Rey…

No. He didn’t dare return to their suite. Not after the previous night. Instead, once the sun had set, he sought the only refuge he had left.

No one else apart from him and the _kannushi_  ever ventured into _Tsukiyomi’s_ shrine. It was his; his right as the Master of the _Sōhei Ronin_ , and the Moon God’s heir.

The shallow hall sat on the edge of the Red Palace grounds, a small structure built to be solitary. Close to the forest, and close to the world of the kami that lurked in its depths. 

He slipped inside like a ghost himself, reveling in the absence of light. To human eyes, the hall would seem black as death, the darkness so deep that you couldn’t see your own hand in front of you even if it was inches from your face. Crippled by blindness, unaccepting of the night, they could not survive here.

But Kylo was the darkness, and so he didn’t need light. He felt his way forward, with deftness, unblind, until he saw it.  

_Tsukiyomi_ broke through the blackness, shining, smiling from a skylight cut into the ceiling, creating a halo of light in the center of the hall — a beacon, even to eyes untrained to see in the darkness. Underneath the moonlight, set into the stone floor, sat a pool brimming with black water; its surface smooth and undisturbed.

Kylo strode forward, stripping as he did. Mask, then gloves, then tunic, until he was naked and pale underneath his God’s eye. 

Warm wetness slipped over his skin as he sunk into the pool, weightless, _free_. He succumbed to it, closing his eyes.

Here, he could float away. He didn’t need sleep to dream. Here, he would wait for the Moon Good to whisper to him, as he had so many times before.

_Tell me what to do. I’ve given you everything; all of myself to the darkness._  

His God was wise.

_How do I make her love me again?_

Kylo waited, slipped away into darkness, into near-madness, but no answers came.

 

— — —

 

Rey missed most of the day, but she still managed to traverse the Night City as the sun died. She didn’t care whether or not Hux wanted her to do it — she was resolved to experience it herself.

Besides — much as she might not want to, she believed that Luke hadn’t lied to her about Finn and the others.

She marveled at everything and nothing, the emptiness of it all. Shuttered shops, abandoned stalls, homes closed tight to the waning sun; everything trimmed in rich hues, and more than just crimson and ebony — there was azure, gold, violet… Where the people armed themselves in black, they painted their city in riotous color and dancing red light.

As the sun fell, and the city started to breathe, Rey lingered, curious to see the people. Smells of their morning greeted her as she meandered on; sizzling pork and steamed rice mingling with heady spices, and as she walked on, careful to keep her feet, she saw heads begin to peek out of their homes, watching her with wary eyes.

Some shops opened, their owners unwilling to meet her gaze, and one brave woman wrapped in midnight silk led two tiny children straight past her, head held high and eyes forward. Rey watched her pass, noting that both children peered back, smiling tentatively, their faces free to the night sky.

Where _Asu_ was clean, bright, and beautiful, _Iza_ was…

Not what she expected. Not at all.

 

— — —

 

Harvesting rice was difficult at night. 

It was back-breaking work underneath the sun, and while Poe didn't miss the glare beating down his neck, he did miss the _light_. How in _Amaterasu's_  name was he supposed to see what he was doing?

"Put your back into it,  _toroi_ ," growled the taskmaster as he passed, coiling a whip around clubbed hands. 

Poe cursed under his breath and tried to pick up the pace. Bent double with sickle in hand, he sliced plant after plant in the dark, squinting hard to see.

Hours passed, until, finally, the sun threatened to rise, and their group was called off. His yield was meager at best, but he didn't need to stay on at this job too long.

He wasn't here for the earnings.

As the men shouldered their loads, preparing to return to the city from the paddy nearest the sea, Poe looked for the man he sought with a shrewd eye. He found him quickly near the back of the party, marching slowly toward the city — the man with leather braided in his hair.

"Nice yield."

The man eyed him as Poe drew close, rightfully wary.

He'd heard of this man before he'd come to _Iza_  from his own men, even though he was less renowned — or distinctive — than his companion; the man Poe really sought. Still, Poe wondered at this one, too — the man they called the _Guardian_. His weathered face and skeptic's eyes put Poe more in mind of a man tired from too many days of unforgiving labor.

"Good moon day," grunted the man. He adjusted his load, fitting it more securely on his back.

Poe fell into step beside him, trying not to notice their difference in height. 

"I'm Kes," said Poe, extending a hand. The Guardian walked on, ignoring the offer.

"Listen, I — "

"No."

The Guardian halted, and Poe did the same. Ahead of them, the other men trudged on, following the dirt road back to the city.

"No?" Poe asked. He kept his voice light; _friendly_. He didn't have his _Tachi_ , but the _tantō_ in his boot would do in a scuffle.

"You are not this Kes," said the Guardian. He almost sounded... bored.

Poe's smile started to trickle away; like sand through an hourglass, until the Guardian's dark eyes hardened into pinpoints, and he spoke again.

"You seek a smuggler."

Poe's smile returned in full force.

"Yes."

 

— — —

 

“Rose.” 

Startled, the girl spun away from the bed no one had slept in, facing the woman she served.

“E-Empress,” Rose managed. She recovered quickly, lowering her eyes to the floor. “My apologies, I was just changing the shee — ”

“No need to apologize,” said the Empress. A tentative smile graced her lips, but it only added to her beauty. Rose had never seen someone so beautiful look so... _sad_. 

Well, except perhaps the Emperor.

"How can I help you, Empress?" Rose asked. 

"Please, call me Rey," she returned.

"But — "

"Please," Rey insisted, her smile growing firm; like flowers in full summer's bloom, it stayed rooted on her face. 

Rose didn't know what to say, so she just nodded.

"I was wondering if you've seen my husband," Rey continued, eyes darting all over the bedroom, "I see he's been here, but I don't know where else to look. I'm still learning the Palace."

Her inquiry surprised Rose, but she still answered.

"In the yard, I think, Emp — I mean... _Rey_ ," she said, "Training."

Rey nodded, staring off into the distance. She was fidgeting with the long sleeve of her gown; one Rose had picked for her, a deep blue emblazoned with the colors of the sunset.

"I could show you where, if you like."

"Yes," Rey agreed, eyes snapping back to Rose. "Tell me, Rose. What do you think of him?"

This time, Rose couldn't hide her surprise.

"I... I couldn't — "

"You said you would keep my home. And my secrets," said Rey, her tone gentle. She came closer, clasping hands around hers. "I'll do the same for you. Please."

Rose looked up into the Empress's eyes, and considered that maybe, Paige was right. Was her kindness a weakness?

She couldn't imagine being in this woman's position; born to power, born with so much _light_... and so much burden.  

Again, just like the Emperor. 

"All right," said Rose, voice hushed. Even though she knew the Emperor — and, more importantly, the  _Shōgun_ — were nowhere near, she wouldn't take the risk. For Rey, or for herself.

"He is... " She struggled to find the right word. "Unmade, now that you're here."

Rey's brow furrowed in confusion and concern.

"What do you mean?"

Rose sighed.

"You have to understand, I don't serve him. Paige and I were brought for you, by Snoke..." she trailed off, wading knee-deep into memories of a home she'd lost. "It was Kylo Ren who saved us, in fact, from a worse fate than this. He insisted you would need faithful servants, and so we were spared from being sold to miners when one of the  _Shōgun's_   _daimyō_  ransacked our village."

"I'm sorry," murmured Rey. She squeezed Rose's hand, and Rose gave her a watery smile.

"I am happy to serve you, Empress," said Rose, "Rey."

"You say Be — Kylo saved you."

Rose nodded. 

"In his own way, he did. He always seemed so... _taken_ by _Tsukiyomi_ , dead to this world; living the life of a _kami_  in ours. Desolate, gray... until you came. Now, he breathes. Now, he seems..."

"Seems what?" asked Rey.

Rose hesitated, but let the words spill forth — another secret between the two of them.

"Now he seems like just a man." 

 

— — —

 

The next time he found her, she was alone.

“Do you mind if I join you?” Finn asked, hovering next to the serving girl called Rose’s table. Again, he'd tracked her to the tea shop near the _Shiro_. 

She stared up at him with wide eyes. Finn wished he could see more of her face.

"I'm waiting for someone," she said. 

"I assumed," he said, grinning, "I thought you might not want to wait alone. I'm Finn, by the way. Just started here a few days ago."

Rose seemed to visibly relax as she took in his apron, and hopefully, his smile. 

"Oh," she said, "All right."

Finn sat across from her, watching her take a sip of her tea.

"So, who are you waiting for?" he asked.

"My sister," she answered, "She's usually here by now; I don't know what's keeping her."

"If she works in the palace kitchens, I know they're preparing for a feast for the  _daimyōs_ ," said Finn, "They're traveling to the capital to meet the new Emperor and his bride."

"Not for a week," said Rose, "But that could be. She has friends who work in the kitchens; she may have gotten held up there."

"Do you work in the palace, then?" Finn asked. 

Rose nodded, and Finn's smile widened.

 

— — —

 

"Why is your hair wet?"

Kylo's arm dropped to his side, the _Tachi_  in his hand nearly grazing the ground. He turned toward her, breathing hard. 

She was wearing another one of the gowns Snoke had made for her; stuffy, heavy and high-collared, meant to preserve an image of purity. He thought of her when they were younger, spinning through the sky in light robes — then wrapped in white; masked... then unmasked and undressed in front of him.

She looked beautiful; but then, when didn't she?  

He decided he preferred her without so much weight on her shoulders.

Words failed him as he watched her staring at him in the quiet training yard. The wind picked up, stirring the paper lanterns that circled their heads. Finally, he managed to think of something — _anything_  — to say.

"Is there something you need, Empress?"

He was surprised by the harshness of his own tone; each word sounded like one from a petulant, petty child.

Rey raised an eyebrow.

"Yes," she said, her lips working as she eyed him up and down. A burst of pride blazed through him as he realized she was looking at his body; he'd yet to put his tunic back on. Sweat rolled off his shoulders, and still, she stared. 

A cautious optimism rose in his chest; biting his heart with tremulous hope he tried to ignore, failing miserably. 

"I want to spar."

Surprise stole his voice, but only for a moment; after that, realization settled in.

"You want to see if you can beat me."

It wasn't a question, and just as he knew she would, Rey faltered, just a little. She always did when he forced her to confront the truth. 

She said nothing, so he continued to push. 

"What makes you think you can?" he asked, raising his _Tachi_ to twirl it between his fingertips.

"I always did before," she argued, eyes narrowing. Kylo chuckled, gripping the blade with broad hands.

"Yes," he said, " _Before_."

Again, she said nothing.  

"You can't spar in that," he said. It was his turn to eye her up and down. She shrugged.

"Help me take it off."

The _Tachi_  stopped twirling.

Kylo hesitated, a strange feeling of trepidation in his gut. He searched her face, looking for an answer, but all he saw was steely resolve. 

And so, he set his blade to the side.

"Come here," he commanded.

She obeyed, stepping purposefully toward him. She lingered in front of his chest for a second that seemed to last too long; trapping him with hazel eyes before she pulled her gaze away, turning her back to him.  

It was familiar — the pulling, the tugging, the untying of ribbon and wrap; but somehow, the tension was tauter as his fingers slipped closer and closer to her bare skin. How was that possible?

Was it because she'd asked, this time? 

Kylo chewed the inside of his cheek, trying to keep his breathing in control as he bared her to the night. Finally, he helped her shrug off the last piece of her gown, leaving her standing in her shift yet again. 

She held out an arm, and he took it, helping her step out of the miles of material before she kicked it aside.

He dropped her arm, and she faced him.

"I need a blade."

He cleared his throat, nodding in the direction to where he'd lain his next to the weapons rack; hers were there, both _Tachi_  and _Daishō_. 

She looked surprised for a moment, but then seemed to clamp it down. When she didn't move toward them, Kylo did, sighing as he picked up his _Tachi_  again, then hers. Without a thought, he tossed her the blade.

She caught it with one hand. 

Wordlessly, he strode back to the center of the yard, then assumed his opening stance — feet firm, knees bent, ready to block her inevitable attack. 

She followed his lead, doing the same across from him. He tried not to stare at the way the lean muscles of her arms were now exposed, or at the shape of her naked calves...

" _Hajime_."

She sprung forward, coils in her heels, bringing her blade to his in a crash of steel on steel. She was _fast_ ; she'd always been faster than him, but he still blocked her, again and again and again. Each time, she got closer to the inside of his guard.

But never close enough.

"Fight back!" she shouted, spinning toward him, feet skimming the sky. He parried, pushing her back with a light shove. 

She landed on her heels, bearing her teeth in a growl, and he decided then that this was Rey at her most beautiful. 

"You're holding back," she snarled, "Fight me the way you'd fight an enemy."

"Why?" he asked, "So you can feel justified when you kill me?"

Her answer was another attack; she burst forward with renewed strength and speed, flying at him in a flurry of strokes. If he let her, she could've sliced him from nose to navel.

But he didn't. Instead, he gave her what she wanted.

Black shadows burst forward from him in a fury, snaking their way across her skin; wrapping around her with a brittle grip so she came to a complete stop only inches away from his face. 

"Yield."

One harsh word sat between them, collecting dust.   

Until, finally, her arm fell, _Tachi_  scraping the stone. She fell, too, and she grasped his bicep with her free hand, using him to steady herself as her feet found the earth.

"I yield."

The shadows fell away, slinking back to him, docile. He sheathed his blade. Silence reigned, but Rey didn't move away.

"You... smell... different," she whispered. He felt her breath on his bare skin.

He chuckled, so _soft_  it stirred the flyaways around her face, which she'd turned up toward him.

"Not everything is the same," he admitted, "It couldn't be."

Rey nodded, slowly, but didn't back away. Vaguely, he was aware of the blade still clutched in her palm, dangerously close to his gut, but he was more aware of the way she bit her lip as she looked at him; hazel eyes searching his face. 

"You aren't my _Nioi_ anymore," she whispered. It was a confession, a tiny one; tremulous as a spider's gossamer, and he took care not to cling to it too hard.

"I told you," he murmured, "Whatever you want to believe... that hasn't changed. That can't change. Not for me."

She swallowed, blinking, looking at her feet as she drew in a deep breath. Her blade clattered to the ground, a cacophony so close, and _she_ moved even closer — close enough he could count every eyelash.

When she looked back up at him, her eyes were bright.

"Show me."

He dragged in a breath, hesitating, crippled with fear for just a _moment_ — until her hands found his face, pulling him down to her. 

Her lips stole his breath as they pressed against his, insistent and warm; she tasted like honey, sweet as the sun he never saw, and he drank in her light like a man dying of thirst. Her hands abandoned his face, finding his neck and his hair instead; the scraping of her nails against his scalp sending shivers down his spine. He groaned, and she took advantage, nipping lightly at his lips. 

A low growl burst from the back of his throat, and he deepened the kiss with more fervor; hands closing on her hips, pressing blue flowers into her soft skin, and he needed more of her, _all_  of her; all she'd give him — he'd forsake everything he had just to keep touching her like this. 

His lips left hers to find her throat; her ear. 

"Come with me."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> || NOTES
> 
>  _Kannushi_ — The priest, or person responsible for the maintenance of a Shinto shrine as well as for leading worship of a given kami. They are also called shinshoku.
> 
>  _Kami_ — The spirits or phenomena that are worshipped in the religion of Shinto.
> 
>  _Toroi_ — An insult in Japanese describing someone slow to learn or dim-witted.
> 
>  _Tantō_ — One of the traditionally made Japanese swords worn by the samurai class of feudal Japan, small enough to be considered a dagger or a knife.
> 
> — — —
> 
> Thank you for reading! I'd love to hear your thoughts in a comment (seriously, they sustain me) or hit me up on [Tumblr](http://rebelrebelreylo.tumblr.com/) or [Twitter](https://twitter.com/rebelrebelreylo) @rebelrebelreylo.
> 
> Check out the playlist for this fic [here](https://open.spotify.com/user/jct1dm8alp830w7tcgg635ujj/playlist/02POQ0A4nSLOghKF22AUjh).
> 
> Finally, if you're enjoying this story and want to get email notifications when it's updated, please feel free to hit that Subscribe button! Thanks again, everyone. :)


	11. jū ichi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He was heat.
> 
> He was heat, all around her, singeing her soul with flames she felt free to dance in.
> 
> Heat, and then, a whisper in her ear; so soft, still so hot.
> 
> “Come with me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter got so long so fast, I had to remove a few things/save some stuff for next chapter, so I hope it's paced okay. Special thank you to [Midnightbluefox](https://archiveofourown.org/users/midnightbluefox/works) and [Loveofescapism](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LoveofEscapism/pseuds/LoveofEscapism/works) for putting up with me complaining about this chapter so much, and the incomparable [Reylocalligraphy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/reylocalligraphy/pseuds/reylocalligraphy) for her endless support, encouragement, and kindness. After the chapter, check out the art she commissioned for this fic! :D Dream. Come. True. 
> 
> Thanks for your patience, and hope you enjoy!

 

He was heat. 

He was heat, all around her, singeing her soul with flames she felt free to dance in.

Heat, and then, a whisper in her ear; so soft, still so _hot_.

“Come with me.”

She exhaled; the sound loud between them, and nodded.

Dark eyes flickered over her face, and he curled a hand around hers. For a breath, he hesitated — but then he was pulling her back inside the palace. As he led her back toward their suite, she expected the heat to fade; her temperature to cool. 

It didn't.

Their trek was short, and her face just got hotter when he tugged her inside their rooms scant minutes later. He let her go to shut both doors — carefully, softly. They made no sound.  

She stood by the door, rooted to the spot. Both of her hands found purchase against the wood at her back, and she used it to keep herself steady. 

Ben stood next to her, still facing the door, head bowed. She could hear him breathing; deep pulls, _in_ , and _out_ ; and could see it, too — bare chest moving, rising and falling, so _close_.  

The heat was still there, tight and taut as a bowstring. 

She wondered which one of them would break it.

Her heart jumped inside her chest when it was Ben — one step and he was in front of her again, brushing bare fingers through her hair, caressing her cheek. Her mouth parted in a soft sigh, and he traced her bottom lip with the pad of his thumb.

"Rey..." 

He chased the whisper with another kiss; and the heat engulfed her, burning away everything but the coil in her belly and the broken bowstring between them. Huge hands wrapped around her waist, and his mouth left hers to trail kisses along her collarbone. 

Something like a whimper escaped her, and he pushed her more roughly against the door. He was too _tall_ ; stooping too low to reach her skin, and in her impatience, she raked nails across his bare back. He growled at that, abandoning her neck for another bruising kiss. His hands left her waist, one pulling her face closer; the other skimming her thigh before he lifted her off the ground completely, helping her wrap long legs around him as he pressed her even harder against their bedroom door. The wood groaned under their weight. 

"Ben," Rey gasped between kisses. He responded with a grunt, snaking an arm behind her back so he could carry her to the bed. Setting her down on the plush surface, he caged her in between both arms, still situated between her thighs, and Rey thought she'd known pleasure before, but not like this, never like _this_. 

She was burning and she didn't care, couldn't care — not when it was this beautiful.

Ben was panting now, hot breaths puffing against her neck, causing shivers to race down her spine, and his hands shook as they traveled, so _torturously slow_ , underneath her shift. He grazed her _there_ , tentative and unsure, but the touch made her even wetter; made her whimper and writhe beneath him. 

"Did I hurt — "

Panic laced through his whisper, but she shushed him with a whine.

"More, please, Ben. _Again_."

He did. He touched her again, soft and slow and not enough, but he was learning her, and for that she was grateful.

His lips descended to hers again, and she tasted him on her tongue, heady and dark and dreamlike. Through the haze of lust burying her; _burning_  her, she drew fingers across his bare chest; through his hair and around the hard line of his jaw. At her exploration, a groan spilled from the back of his throat, and she wanted to smile, but she couldn’t, not when he was pushing her shift up further, past her shoulders and over her head. 

She lay there, completely bare to him — the would-be Emperor of _Iza_ ; the Master of the _Sōhei Ronin_ ; Kylo Ren... So many names. 

But he was Ben, too — and she wasn’t afraid. Not of this. Not of him. 

Perhaps she should be.

He stared down at her, dark eyes covering every inch; working his jaw, and she let out a strangled noise of frustration, rubbing her thighs together — she needed friction, something, _any_ relief at all for the blaze in her belly.  

Too slowly, he stripped away his _hakama_ , still watching her. Her eyes widened slightly at the sight of all of him, and a tiny prickle of fear bit her, like a sting from a wasp. How would he _fit_? But then, he would, _he would_ , and she rubbed her thighs together again in anticipation, her lust overtaking her fear. 

He surprised her when he took her knees in his hands, lightly pushing her legs apart, thumb circling where her thigh met calf. He wasn't forceful, but the action only made the ache inside burn brighter. 

A part of her wanted to speak, to say the words worrying her tongue, but they wouldn't come. To speak felt like a break in this spell, in this world between dawn and dusk where she could forgive him, where they could...

He seemed to know, because he didn't speak, either, just covered her with his hands again, touching and teasing, listening to all of her breathy moans and sated sighs. She listened, too, or tried to — tried to take in his rough breathing; the hardness brushing her down there, again, so _close_.

His body hovered over hers, large and looming and perfect, and he kissed her again as he positioned himself at her entrance. 

"You'll never be alone again," he whispered, voice deep and dark as the sea, or the forest, or perhaps  _Iza_ itself, "I promise."

She gasped when he entered her a moment later; a sharp intake of breath that matched the pressure building deep inside; this new _burn_ , this new stretch. It was so much at once — everything she expected but so much more at the same time, a strange, giddy feeling of fullness that mingled with the pain; pain that was already slipping away, like water through cupped hands.

He went slowly; still so careful, but she couldn't help the low whine that escaped her as he pressed fully inside. He stopped, staring down at her. A sheen of sweat covered his brow.

"Keep going," she begged before he could speak, " _Please_. Keep going."

He did. He did, focusing hard on her shoulder, slipping in and out of her with increasing speed, and it felt _good_ , but she needed more. She needed to feel more of him.

"That's...  _good_ ," she breathed, the words spilling from her lips the same way she skimmed the sky, "But I need you to touch me. _Please_ , Ben. Keep... touching me."

He nodded, drawing a hand to her chest; grazing a peaked nipple, and when she keened, he did it again and again and again. His other hand snaked between her legs, searching for that _other_ part of her, and that was harder for him to find, but eventually, he found the right spot, rubbing insistently as she murmured her encouragement. 

He was breathing hard when he kissed her again, messily, but she didn't care. She didn't care about anything other than the slide of him inside her; hot and hard and _so close_  to that thing she couldn't quite reach —

Ben was losing control; pace erratic but tight with tension, clearly determined to see her reach her peak.

"Rey," he groaned in her ear, fingering that spot between her legs, " _Please_ , Rey. I'm trying; I can't — " 

His plea did it. 

A dam broke inside her as she gripped him; she cried out again, helpless as colors burst in front of her eyes. Ben followed, pressing his face into the shallow of her neck to soften his own stream of curses as he came down, too.

He held himself in place above her for a moment, biceps trembling from the effort, before slipping out and rolling onto his back beside her. Sweat glistened on both of their bodies, and the smell inside the room was some rousing mixture of them both; Rey could taste it in the air, surprised by how much she liked it. 

As her breathing steadied, Ben angled his body to face hers. She matched him, unable to tear her gaze away from his gleaming skin; his disheveled hair; his lips pink from kissing her.

"Stay."

She did.

 

— — —

 

“Say it again.”

Luke sighed, turning tired eyes toward the _Hime_  of _Asu_. She stared back; deep, dark eyes — eyes she'd given her son — brokering no argument.

Where she was royal, Luke... Luke wasn’t. Not really.

“Rey claims that he killed Snoke.”

Leia's hands clutched the armrests of her throne, pale and small against the sandstone. A sun had risen on his sister's face; a small flicker of hope it twisted his heart to snuff out.

When did they trade places? When did he become the realist, and she the dreamer?

"If that's true," she started, "Then... My son — "

"Rey has no reason to lie," he interrupted, "But I still fear for her. They've...wed."

"They've _what_?" Leia rose as she spoke; picking her way down the steps of her seat toward him, unable to stay still at the news. The light in her eyes was unmistakable now, and the mist. Luke tasted ash in his mouth.

"Kylo Ren has taken Rey for his bride."

Leia stilled on the last step, a few feet away from where he knelt before her. She considered him, but he bowed his head to avoid meeting her gaze.

"You speak of him like he's still lost to you," she murmured, "But this... If anything could bring him back to us, could _end_  this hellish war... Luke, everything he did, he did for — "

" _Power_ ," Luke growled. Ice lodged itself into his heart as he looked back up at her, the chill bleeding into his marrow. 

"He seeks what Snoke poisoned him with; darkness, decay, death. And Rey... Rey will be consumed it."

"What happened that night?"

Her voice rang out through the Great Room. Luke's jaw snapped shut, and he grit his teeth against the truth worming its way to his lips. She was no longer his twin; she was his _Hime_ , and she demanded obedience with four words. 

He stayed silent.

When he didn't speak, she sighed. Disappointment clouded the air between them as she strode past him and toward one of the Great Room's many doors, skirts swishing across the golden floor.

"Have you seen Hago?"

Luke still didn't speak. Instead, he shook his head.

"Perhaps he's gone home," she murmured, more to herself than him. "Like my son." 

She paused at the exit. 

"One day, I will know, Luke," she murmured, "Sometimes I think you forget who I was before I became this... I'm no Skywalker, but I still bear scars. Scars I earned before you, before Han. I can shoulder the truth."

It wasn't until he was sure she'd left that he finally spoke.

"No, Leia," he whispered, "I wouldn't break your heart. Not any more than I already have." 

 

— — —

 

“Rey, are you in here?”

The soft, sweet murmur was accompanied by the _swish_  of a door opening — and then, a yelp.

Kylo woke with a jolt. Blurry-eyed, he sat up. He could barely make out the figure cowering near the servant's entrance to the bedroom, but she was there, her back to him and Rey —  

_Rey_.

He turned to her just as she blinked her eyes open, naked and curled like a cat against his side. His cock twitched at the sight of her golden skin and tousled hair; and her sleepy smile as she peered up at him. 

“Is it morning?” she murmured into his thigh. He shuddered.

“It's well past dusk,” he answered. She blinked at that, frowning as she rose, sliding away from him to her side of the bed. Already, he missed her warmth. 

“Rose?” Rey asked. Seeing the girl, she snatched the sheets bundled between them, covering herself up to her neck. She glared at Ben — as if it was his fault her serving woman burst into their bedroom.

“I’m so sorry, Majesties,” squeaked Rose, still facing away from them, “Forgive me, I thought you were already up, I... it’s the  _Shōgun_ ,  _Tennō_. He sent me to find you; he insisted it was urgent. About the _daimyō_.”

She kept her back to him — a position that, under any other circumstance, would be considered disrespectful if not insubordinate, but at the moment he couldn’t help but be grateful for the girl’s tact. 

“Fine,” he groused, “Send another servant to tell him I’ll meet him shortly, then come back to assist the Empress.”

She bowed, still not turning toward them, then bolted through the servant’s door.

Silence permeated the room like moss grew on the trees of the forest; dense and delicately suffocating. Kylo twisted the sheets in his hands, unsure how to break it; where to start. 

It was the soft rustle of Rey shifting that drew his eye. She was still perched on the other side of their bed; her back to him now, bare feet planted on the floor.

“Rey...” 

“You should go,” she said, voice soft. He swallowed, feeling his throat tighten around words he wanted to say, but he held his tongue.

So instead he stood, letting the sheets fall, rounding the bed to meet her. She stared at her own hands, clasped together around the fabric furrowed in her fists.

Uncaring of his nudity, he knelt in front of her, large hands ghosting her knees. She raised her head to look back at him.

“I’ll be back soon,” he said. His throat felt dry, and his ears burned. He couldn’t help the way his eyes flickered to her exposed clavicle; the marks on her neck _he’d_ given her. 

The side of her lips quirked up in a tiny half-smile, and she raised a finger to brush some of his hair back from his eyes. It took all of his self-control not to lean forward and taste her again; that skin kissed by _Amaterasu_  —

“Go, Ben. I’ll see you later.”

 

— — —

 

_“It’s your turn.”_

_Rey pouted, jutting her lower lip out so far Ben was sure she could catch the rain in her mouth._

_He grinned at her._

_"Don't be a sore loser, Rey."_

_Her eyes left the Go board and found him scowling._

_"I'm not. I'm figuring out my next move. Don't get cocky, Ben."_

_"I've studied every possible move you can make," he countered, sounding every bit the haughty teenager he was, "There's nothing you can do to escape the inevitable, Rey. You're so naive — "_

_"I win."_

_She smiled, not bothering to place another of her white stones. Ben's jaw dropped._

_"No, you didn't! I have more territory — "_

_"Do the math," she interrupted, "If I stop right now, I win. You have slightly more territory, but I have more points."_

_Ben's eyes raked over the board, calculating quickly before his grin twisted into a grimace._

_"But — how? You..."_

_She beamed._

_“You can’t ignore the smaller groups, Ben! When those add up... That, and you didn’t take into account my points for being at a disadvantage. You underestimated me because I seemed like I wasn't a threat."_

_He eyed her. It was his turn to pout._

_"I won't do that again."_

 

— — —

 

"You're late."

Kylo ignored the remark. He didn't even scowl at the weasel-faced man, choosing instead to cross the War Room without a word before joining Hux at the _chabudai_.

His restraint didn't have the effect he'd been hoping for. When he met Hux's eyes, they were contemplative; calculating. 

"Speak," Kylo growled, "What was so urgent that it couldn't wait?"

A smirk curled the corners of Hux's thin lips; unfurling like oil over water.

“I see you’re already growing accustomed to... _leadership_ , Ren. Good. But see that you’re not late when the  _daimyō_ arrive. I’ve just heard word; many will be here sooner than we anticipated." 

Kylo raised an eyebrow.

“How soon?” 

“Three days,” supplied Hux. “We have much to do in that time to prepare for their arrival if we’re to secure each of their villages.”

“You’ve claimed that they’re loyal to you, not Snoke,” pressed Kylo.

“And they are,” said Hux, “But, as you so graciously reminded me with a blade to the neck, the _Iza_  people worship their deity. The _daimyō_ know this; count on it the same as I do. They will want to see that you speak for _Tsukiyomi_ in the eyes of their people...and your wife — ”

“What about Rey?” Kylo cut in, eyes narrowing, “She needs no part in this.” 

“On the contrary,” argued Hux, “It’s paramount she ingratiates herself to them. We need to solidify her as your spiritual counterpart, and make her seem less a _Shima_ peasant; an Empress worthy of actual _rule_. I’ve already contracted Phasma to coach her; she’ll be here tomorrow." 

"You want to use her," growled Kylo. His gloved hands twitched; itching to squeeze a little life out of the man's thin neck.

"Isn't that why you married her,  _Tennō_?" asked Hux. His eyes sparkled with a gleeful, knowing malice. 

Kylo said nothing, and Hux's smirk grew into a self-satisfied smile. 

"Indeed. Now. Once the _daimyō_  have been brought to heel, we need to turn our attention to your coronation..."

 

— — —

 

Poe didn’t fear the forest, but he was still wary of the spirits that made their homes there.

That was why, when he and Holdo met the Guardian on the edge of the  _Taiheiyo_ , he carried an offering in his sleeve. 

_Just in case._  

The night was early; the sun swallowed by the sparkling sea. They found the Guardian just where he'd agreed to meet him — leaning against an ancient, gnarled evergreen with the face of a crone carved into its bark. He wore no formal armor but two twin _daishō_  strung at his hip and a bow across his shoulders. 

"The man who is not Kes," he beckoned as Poe approached. His eyes narrowed when they fell on the willowy woman next to him, hooded and cloaked per  _Iza_  custom, “Who is this?”

“My wife,” Poe said stiffly. It was a bold lie; while beautiful, Holdo was older than Poe — a fact that would be suspect to any discerning man. Poe had said as much, but she’d insisted on coming. 

_Insisted_... More like _ordered_. Still, he obeyed. She outranked him in the court of _Asu_ , and in the _Hime’s_  army.

The Guardian considered that for a moment, but then shrugged. Again, he looked... bored. 

“As you say. Let's go." 

He started for the cover of the trees, but Poe stayed where he was, Holdo halting beside him. 

"Wait," Poe called, "You never said how far in we'd need to go."

The Guardian chuckled, ducking his head to clear a low-hanging branch.

"Come. He waits."

Without another word, the man trudged into the forest. The two _Asu_  spies followed closely, careful not to make too much noise as they waded deeper into the trees.

They didn't go too far in, instead keeping close to the perimeter; climbing their way toward the mountain that was _Iza's_ neighbor. If they kept going much further, they'd reach the _Shiro_  itself — something they needed to avoid. He'd felt comfortable (well, as comfortable as any man could) when they'd come in near the mouth of the sea, but this far inland...

After half an hour, the Guardian halted, and Poe paused behind him, holding out an arm so Holdo would do the same. They'd come to a break in the trees; overhead, _Tsukiyomi_ tipped silvery light onto the earth below. Bathing in it was the man Poe sought — _Iza's_ best smuggler. 

"Chirrut."

The man raised his head at his name, milky eyes bright in the moonlight. Vaguely, Poe wondered if the rumors about him were true. Did a _kami_  really steal his sight?

"Baze. Is this him?"

"The man who is not Kes," replied the Guardian, or Baze. He waved an arm to Poe, beckoning for them to follow as he made his way over to Chirrut, leaning against another tree. His posture was casual, but his eyes were a stark contrast to those of the blind man's — dark, shrewd. Ready in case they made any sudden movements, that much was clear. 

_Well, there's the reason he's called the Guardian_ , Poe thought. He walked forward to meet the two men under _Tsukiyomi_ , stopping just shy of a few feet, Holdo haunting every step.

"Baze tells me you need a smuggler," said Chirrut. He didn't look at Poe; he obviously couldn't, even though he'd turned his head toward him, but, strangely, Poe still felt as if he was scrutinizing him. 

"Yes," Poe replied, shifting between both feet. Baze continued to eye every twitch.

"And what would a man like you need to smuggle into _Asu_?"

Poe raised a brow.

"How do you know I want you to smuggle something into the Sun Lands?"

"Why else would you be here?" shrugged Chirrut, turning his head to the sky. "Smugglers are needed during times such as these; times of war, of struggle.” He grinned. “Otherwise, we are called men of _trade_.”

Poe chuckled, relaxing slightly.

“True,” he agreed. He hesitated, then spoke again, the knot in his gut untangling as he let the words fly free. “I need to get a message to one of the _Hime’s_   _bushi_ ; Caluan Ematt.” 

Chirrut frowned.

“Not the _Hime_  herself?”

Panic stitched Poe's side.

"No — "

"I would think that the Admiral would rather send her message directly to the _Hime_ , rather than worry about finding Ematt," continued Chirrut. He turned his head toward Holdo. "Seems simpler."

A beat of silence passed before Holdo stepped forward, head held high.

"You know me?" she asked. Poe expected alarm to coat her tongue, but she sounded calm; words dripping honey for all their sweetness.

Chirrut's easy smile returned; bright eyes like stars too far away from the moon. 

"I am no friend of yours, Admiral, but yes... I know you. You and your _bushi_." He turned back toward Poe, inclining his head, "Commander." 

Poe started to reach for the  _Tantō_ hidden in his belt, but Chirrut's chuckle made him pause.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk — no need for that. I'm no friend of the _Shōgun_ , either. It's a smuggler's job to know both sides of any conflict. How else will I know where I can find the best profit?"

"Wise," murmured Holdo, "Though now we know not to trust you."

"You wouldn't have trusted me anyway," countered Chirrut. He rose from his spot on the hard earth, using a wooden staff to help himself up. Poe almost expected the man called Baze to rush to his side, but he didn't.

"You're right," agreed Holdo lightly. "Let's cut to the chase then, shall we? We need you to get a message to the _Hime_. Rest assured, you'll be paid well for your trouble once you reach the Capital." She held up a scroll, even though he couldn't see it. "How soon can you leave?"

Chirrut's smile widened.

"Now."

"Now?" asked Poe, "But... do you have a _shimaihagi_  waiting? What about supplies?”

Chirrut’s chuckle bloomed into a booming laugh, and he swung his head in the direction of Baze, who just rolled his eyes.  

“We won’t sail, Commander. Much faster to _Asu_  through the _Taiheiyo_." 

"Isn't that dangerous?" asked Holdo. Concern colored her words, but Poe knew it was more for the message than Chirrut himself.

" _Sarutahiko_ protects me," he said, holding out a hand.

“I protect you,” muttered Baze. He fingered the tip of the bow on his back; a blade at his hip. 

"But... That's mad," said Poe, unable to reign in his disbelief. "You're _mad_. You'll die in there, especially — " He stopped, flushing, but the blind man was still smiling.

“I thought you’d heard the rumors, Commander? The _kami_  have taken all they can from me already. I cannot see what you can, but I see _them_.”

He flexed the fingers of his open palm.

“Now. The message.”

 

— — —

 

Rey was cold.

Huddled in the bed she'd only slept in for the first time the day before, she couldn't seem to get warm — no matter the sheets she'd burrowed into.

With Ben gone, all she had left to warm her was her guilt.

She had no idea how much time had passed since Ben had left her; again, she couldn't sense whether it was night or day in this place. Here, time was endless; turning her over and over in a never-ending circle, and she couldn't find her feet to stand.

A soft knock thudded against the door to the servant's quarters. She jumped, pulled from her reverie.

"Empress," called Rose's voice for the second time, "Are you awake?"

Rey cleared her throat, trying to answer, but her reply still came out a rasp.

"Yes. Come in, Rose."

Rose entered, eyes darting nervously around the room. Rey's cheeks flushed when she saw she carried her discarded gown in her arms.

"I found this," Rose said, voice hushed, "I made sure to bring it back, Empress."

Rey looked away, face still hot. Vaguely, she realized she was still naked underneath all of the bedding she'd wrapped herself in. It was nothing Rose hadn't seen before, but this time was different.

"Rey? Are you... alright?" Rose's murmur was as soft and sweet as ever. Rey swallowed hard; there was a lump in her throat that wouldn't go away.

"Yes," she breathed. "Yes. What time is it?"

"Almost dawn," Rose answered, "If you wished to — "

"Help me get dressed, will you?"

Rose nodded meekly, averting her eyes when Rey stepped out of bed. A few long minutes later, she'd draped Rey in another gown; this one in shades of violet that highlighted her hazel eyes. As she cinched and pinned pieces into place, Rey finally spoke.

"What do the people say, Rose?"

Rose paused.

"What do you mean?"

"The people," Rey said, "Do you spend time with them? What do they whisper, when they see me walking in the streets?"

Rose considered the question, her ministrations slowing.

"They see light, I think," she said, "Light they're learning not to be afraid of."

"And why are they afraid?" asked Rey. "What is there to fear of the daylight?"

At that, Rose stopped, her hands falling away from Rey.

"Pain," whispered Rose, "Fire. Death. _Amaterasu_  will expose us to _Asu_  and burn our bodies until we're no more than ash." She sighed. "But not you. Kissed by sun and starlight; loved by light and darkness... You're of both; our hope to end our suffering, our _hiding_. That's what they whisper."  

Rey bit her lip, staring at her hands.

"Rose, I — "

Her reply was interrupted by the bedroom door swinging open; her husband on the other side.

Ben's eyes fell on Rose.

"Leave us."  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CHECK OUT THIS AMAZING ARTWORK OF REY AND BEN'S WEDDING BY THE UNPARALLELED [BOOMDAFUNK](http://boomdafunk.tumblr.com/) COMMISSIONED/GIFTED FOR THIS FIC BY THE SWEETEST PERSON IN THIS FANDOM, [REYLOCALLIGRAPHY](https://archiveofourown.org/users/reylocalligraphy/pseuds/reylocalligraphy)!!! I'm honestly still shook over it. Every time I look at it I tear up. THANK YOU AGAIN, YOU ARE AN ANGEL ON EARTH.
> 
> || NOTES
> 
>  _Hakama_ — A type of traditional Japanese clothing; trousers.
> 
>  _Shōgun_ — In feudal Japan, the Shōgun was the military dictator and essentially the de facto ruler of the country, although nominally they were appointed by the Emperor as a ceremonial formality. The same is mostly true of Hux in this story.
> 
>  _Tennō_ — Another word for Emperor in Japan; literally meaning, "heavenly sovereign."
> 
>  _Daimyō_ — In feudal Japan, they were the great lords who were vassals of the Shōgun, like the nobility in Great Britain. In this story, they're much the same.
> 
>  _Go_ — Go is an abstract strategy board game for two players, in which the aim is to surround more territory than the opponent. The game was invented in China more than 2,500 years ago and is believed to be the oldest board game continuously played to the present day. The game reached Japan in the 7th century CE, where it is called go or igo. The game became popular at the Japanese imperial court in the 8th century and among the general public by the 13th century.
> 
>  _Chabudai_ — A short-legged table used in traditional Japanese homes.
> 
>  _Taiheiyo_ — The large, mystical forest (home to many spirits/kami and monsters) separating Iza and Asu in this story.
> 
>  _Daishō_ — A matched pair of traditionally made Japanese swords worn by the samurai class in feudal Japan.
> 
>  _Shiro_ — A type of castle in Japan.
> 
>  _Kami_ — The spirits or phenomena that are worshipped in the religion of Shinto.
> 
>  _Bushi_ — Another word for samurai.
> 
>  _Tantō_ — One of the traditionally made Japanese swords worn by the samurai class of feudal Japan, small enough to be considered a dagger or a knife.
> 
>  _Shimaihagi_ — A type of fishing boat from the Tohoku region of northern Japan. The name means, literally, "four boards put together," referring to the planking.
> 
>  _Sarutahiko Ōkami_ — the god of the earth in Shinto, or the leader of the earthly kami (spirits).
> 
> — — —
> 
> Thank you for reading! I've decided I'm not above begging for comments/feedback, so please, feel free to share your thoughts or hit me up on [Tumblr](http://rebelrebelreylo.tumblr.com/) or [Twitter](https://twitter.com/rebelrebelreylo) @rebelrebelreylo. Check out the playlist for this fic [here](https://open.spotify.com/user/jct1dm8alp830w7tcgg635ujj/playlist/02POQ0A4nSLOghKF22AUjh). 
> 
> Finally, if you're enjoying this story and want to get email notifications when it's updated, please feel free to hit that Subscribe button! Thanks again, everyone. :)


	12. jū ni

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Every press of Ben's fingers on her was like... a _memory_ , searing into her skin; something she couldn't shake, building into _more_ in her belly.
> 
> Ben's other hand found her shoulder, thumb circling her naked collarbone, and she wished she could burn the twisting, shuddering, _something_ in her stomach away, but it stayed, catching in her chest as he met her eyes again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this short update took ten million years! Like a lot of others, I spent all of December writing exchange fics for the holidays! (Out now, in case you're interested.) This chapter gave me a lot of trouble because it's so internal for Rey, but I'm excited about what's coming next, so I think updates will come a little easier after this. 
> 
> A huge thank you to my new beta, the incomparable [Inmyownidiom](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Inmyownidiom/pseuds/Inmyownidiom)! Thank you for your wonderful and supportive feedback.
> 
> I hope you all enjoy. :D

"Leave us."

Rose obeyed, scurrying to the servant’s door. It closed softly behind her.

Rey watched her go, then looked at her feet. Anywhere but at —

But then he was in front of her, tipping her face up, dark eyes searching hers. He hadn't put on his gloves. His fingertips were warm, trailing sparks across her cheeks.

"I missed you."

Rey drew in a sharp breath; chest tight with tension.

"What did he want?"

Ben's brow furrowed. A muscle jumped in his cheek.

"Hux?"

"Yes," Rey breathed, holding his gaze, "The _Shōgun_. What did he say about the _daimyō_?"

His hand fell away from her face, closing around her hip. His eyes followed.

"They'll arrive earlier than expected," he said, brushing at the pattern on her silks. "Three days."

"What does that mean?"

The air in the room was stifling; suddenly, she wished she hadn't asked Rose to help her dress. Every press of Ben's fingers on her was like... a _memory_ , searing into her skin; something she couldn't shake, building into _more_ in her belly.

Ben's other hand found her shoulder, thumb circling her naked collarbone, and she wished she could burn the twisting, shuddering, _something_ in her stomach away, but it stayed, catching in her chest as he met her eyes again.

"It means we will have to placate them," he continued, voice hesitant. As if he wasn't sure how much to tell her.

She frowned.

"How?"

Ben bent his head to hers, closing his eyes. He sighed. His breath was soft on her face.

"They expect an Emperor," he murmured, "And an Empress. United against _Asu_."

Rey's frown deepened.

"So. You mean to follow Hux."

Ben opened his eyes. His fingers stilled on her neck.

"No," he countered, "He controls the _daimyō_. We must play his game. For now."

"For how long?"

He flinched, frustration curling his hand harder around her hip. He didn't hurt her, but his grip was firm.

Guilt snaked inside her gut as she realized how much she liked it.

"Until my coronation."

“And what then?” she asked. Part of her wanted to push him away; wanted to flee from his touch, so tender, so _intoxicating_ , but her selfish skin stayed rooted to the spot, drinking in his attention.

“Then we will rule.”

A blunt answer from a blunt boy. Rey needed honesty; not bluntness.

“You sound like them,” she said, voice soft with disappointment. When he didn’t reply, she pulled away, steadying herself with a hand on one of their bedposts. “It’s ironic, but you do. You sound like Leia and Luke. And... _Han_.” A sharp inhale. “You promised me no lies, Ben, but you’re still dancing around the truth. Just like they did.”

He said nothing, but she could feel the rage roiling off of every inch of him; could almost see it coalesce around his shoulders, blurry and black, a shadow itching to escape.

“I don’t know what you want from me,” he finally said. The words dribbled out, stilted and stiff. He stared at her, eyes black and burning in an ashen face.

“No. You don’t.” She sighed. “What of the war? What will you do when you’ve won the allegiance of the _daimyō_? Will you do as Hux says?" Her eyes narrowed. "Will you conquer your own country?”

Another beat, another breath. His lips twitched when he spoke.

“ _Asu_ is not my country.”

“Now who’s lying to themselves?” Rey challenged him. “It was yours when you suffered the weight of your grandmother’s blade up a mountain, and when you skimmed the sky instead of sinking into darkness. Why stay here? Why revel in a world without light? All the people hide here, afraid and — ”

“Enough.” He cut her off. “You've been in _Iza_ little more than a fortnight, and you think you know the people? Our religion? You don't.” He clenched his jaw. “Who sounds like them now, Rey?"

Rey froze, glaring at him.

"I don't understand."

He stayed silent. A large hand ghosted over hers wrapped around the bedpost, and his mouth found her ear.

"Exactly."

The whisper set her skin aflame, and she shut her eyes to the sensation.

"You may no longer claim _Asu_ , Ben, but I do.”

He didn’t speak, but his other hand found her hip again, and his nose nuzzled her neck. She did nothing to stop him. Why couldn’t she want to?

“I... may be your wife, and I may become Empress, but... I am still a Skywalker."

Her words were shaky. So were her knees as he pressed his lips to her shoulder.

“I know.”

“Do you?” He nipped the skin above her collarbone, and her question ended in a gasp.

His tongue darted out to soothe the bite, and her breath caught in her throat. Impatience burrowed under her skin and wound itself into her gut while wetness gathered between her thighs.

“Yes,” he murmured, “the last.”

Rey forced her eyes open. He was looking at her, lips hovering close to hers. In the scarlet haze of their bedroom, his eyes looked as fathomless as those from his mask.

"Let the past die. Kill it, if you have to."

"I should go," she murmured, placing a hand on his. Gently, she pulled his palm away from hers, dropping her gaze.

"What?" he asked, confusion clouding his eyes. "Where?"

"Dawn."

He said nothing. Instead, he simply stared at her, breathing her in, until, finally, he nodded, biting the inside of his cheek. His hand fell away from her hip, and she sidestepped him. Her eyes fluttered closed for a moment before she started forward.

She paused at the doorway.

“Don’t you miss it?”

“What?” he asked. She didn't turn to look at him.

“The daylight.”

For a long moment, she didn't think he would answer, but then he spoke.

"Yes."

The word was a whisper, and it flickered in her heart, too bright to extinguish. She turned back to look at him, but he was still facing their bed. He hadn't moved an inch.

"Come with me," she called, "Show me more of the city. Please, Ben."

He cleared his throat.

"I'll wait for you."

  
— — —  


Rey wore goosebumps.

They prickled her skin as her breath puffed out, marrying the early morning mist. Dawn broke on the horizon at the edge of the Night City; _Amaterasu’s_ nimble fingers scrabbling toward the sky.

It shouldn’t be cold. It was still summer here in _Iza_ , though fall dripped closer each day, promising tempests.

She could smell it — the scent of sea and blazing light; of booming bearing closer, closer.

Rey liked the rain, but she didn’t like thunderstorms. Thunderstorms meant monsoon season, and monsoons meant death to _Shima_ sailors. Like her family.

She quickened her step, watching the windows of every home and hovel she passed. The curtains were drawn; the light of day shunned. No one, as always.

Today, she wasn't disturbed by this city of ghosts. She needed the peace; sought the stillness. Her rooms were too stifling. _Ben_ was too stifling.

So she made for the open water, storms be damned.

She tasted more condensation on her tongue as she drew close to the _futō_. At night, the wharf bustled with activity — passage across _Iza's_ many mountains was treacherous; trade routes along the coast were vital in keeping the country fed.

Now, though, ships swayed in the breeze, untended by their masters. Rey strode down the dock nearest her, hitching up her skirts. Once she reached the end, she kicked off her slippers and sat, dipping her toes into the water.

She glanced over her shoulder. The Red Palace loomed behind her; _yagura_ spiraling into the sky, blotting out bits of sun. Could she never escape the shadows?

She peered westward. It was light enough now that she could make it out; a smaller bay full of bobbing _wasen_ near the edge of the forest, just across a familiar bridge. And then she could see that night, unfurling over her eyes and suffocating her sight, blackening her memory with darkness and death, and she watched Han fall, a blade in his belly, and Ben — the masked monster; the _Oni_ — standing over him.

_He is...Unmade, now that you're here._

Rose’s words reverberated throughout Rey’s skull, and she could see it: Ben, her _Nioi_ , split and screaming, twisted and torn in two; a shadow of himself, but still alive. Still breathing.

Still warm.

She’d been ready to make him into a monster. It would’ve been easier if he was one, as black and as cold as the _Oni_ she’d sworn she would kill to end this war. But for all of his crimes, for all of his resolve to raze _Asu_ to the ground and rebuild a country where they could be together — _you’re not alone_ — where they wouldn’t _hurt_ anymore… She still only saw a broken boy.  

Rey was good at two things: salvaging broken things and waiting.

She blinked. There was something hot on her face; it stung her eye, her cheek.     

"Hmm."

Rey jumped, nearly falling forward into the sea. Whirling around, she came face-to-face with a... _woman, standing in the sunlight._

Despite being outside during the day, she was still wrapped in layer after layer of cloth, though she didn't wear black, but a deep red. The only skin she'd left exposed was wrinkled with age; situated around large, round eyes the color of sable. She was a tiny thing, not even five feet in height, and she looked... familiar.

"Forgive me, Empress. I didn't mean to alarm you," she said, squinting those big eyes of hers. She stood a few paces away on the dock, but she shuffled closer as she spoke.  

"I know you," Rey said, "You're the priestess. The _miko_. From my — " She paused. "My wedding."

"Indeed, Empress." She inclined her head, "It was an honor to assist in performing the ceremony."

"What are you doing out here?"

The _miko_ may have frowned, but Rey couldn't tell. Her mouth was obscured by scarlet.

"Out here?" she repeated.

"Yes," Rey said, twisting her torso toward the woman, "In the daylight."

"Ah," the _miko_ said. "Well, child. Like you, I do not fear _Amaterasu_. I have lived too long for that."

Rey opened her mouth to reply, then shut it.

"Come." The _miko_ beckoned her with a spindly finger. "Let me show you."

Rey hesitated, then stood.

"Where?"

"To her _jinja_ , of course," started the _miko_ , moving back down the length of the dock. Rey hurried to slip her slippers back on so she could follow. The old woman was quick despite her shuffling gait. By the time Rey caught up to her, they'd already reached the entrance to the docks.

" _Amaterasu's_ shrine? Here in _Iza_?" she asked, shadowing the _miko's_ steps as she lead Rey down a side street. The stone sparkled obsidian under the Goddess's eye.

The woman chuckled, taking a left turn, down another side street. Closer to the _Shiro_.

"Of course, child. What is the dark without the light?"

Rey didn't answer. Her eyes were too busy taking in the sight ahead. They'd emerged in an alley on the North side of the palace, and jutting out of the sprawling complex was a small temple, painted a familiar gold hue. _Warmth, light, life._

When Rey followed the _miko_ inside, she felt light on her feet.

She looked up. As she'd expected, the ceiling was painted with a mural meant to mirror the sky above — swirling colors of blue and gold, with white clouds in between. The likeness was so accurate that she could barely discern the difference between the imitation and the real sky, which smiled down at her from numerous cutouts in the stone. A bevy of bronze mirrors adorned the walls, reflecting what shone above and filling the small shrine with even more light; _kami_ dancing.

Rey smiled.

"It's beautiful," she said.

"Yes," agreed the _miko_. Rey turned her gaze toward her, standing in the center of the _jinja_ , perfectly at ease underneath a rising sun. Whatever the woman said, it still baffled her.

"I don't understand," Rey admitted, choosing her words carefully. The priestess seemed benign, but that didn't mean she wasn't one of the _Shōgun's_ spies. The man had proved he was no zealot — not when it came to religion, anyway — but he clearly saw the advantage in using religious rhetoric to sway the _Iza_ people. For his own gain, of course.

The _miko_ smiled back at her.

"Remove your slippers, Empress," she advised. She kicked off her own, burrowing tiny toes into the golden grain beneath their feet. Rice, meant to mimic the world _Amaterasu_ reigned over, blessing her people with fertile land. The priestess sat, folding old bones together with a deftness Rey didn't expect.

Rey obeyed, crossing her legs underneath her skirts as she sat.

"I can’t believe this place is here,” said Rey. She folded her hands in her lap. “I would’ve thought that Sno— the Emperor wouldn’t allow worship of _Amaterasu_.”

The _miko_ considered her. After a long moment, she shrugged.

“The Emperor didn’t need to forbid knowledge or worship of the Sun goddess. Propaganda and the sins of Asu made her a monster in the eyes of _Iza_.”

Rey balked at that, twisting the folds of her kimono between her fingers. She made to speak, but the _miko's_ eyes — amused, _sad_ — stopped her.

"You're surprised," murmured the old woman. She leaned forward, fixing Rey with a look that, oddly enough, reminded her of Leia. Her eyes were even brown. "Like your husband, you know precious little of your country's history. Did you never wonder who split the sky?"

Rey stared.

"Myth," she finally said. " _Amaterasu_ — and _Tsukiyomi_ , for that matter — wouldn't allow it. Day dawns here in _Iza_ the same as it always has, and the same is true in Asu. The people here won't burn."

"Perhaps not," said the _miko_ , "But their crops do die, and their rivers run rancid. Ask your new Emperor _why_."

"Who are you?" Rey asked. Her nails dug into the folds of her _kimono_ , but she couldn't feel anything through the fabric.

The miko smiled but did not answer.

  
— — —  


When Rey returned to the Shiro, Ben was where he said he'd be — waiting for her.

She’d been gone at least an hour, closer to two; the sun was high in the sky.

He'd removed his _haori_ and sat stiffly in their bed as if he wasn't sure what to do without her there with him.

“You’re still awake.”

His eyes followed her.

"I said I would wait."

She couldn't stop herself from watching his lips form around the words, pink and plush. As if he'd bitten them over and over again while he waited. In his lap, his long fingers twitched.

"Thank you," Rey murmured. She stopped just shy of their bed. If he wanted to, he could reach out and touch her, but he didn’t.

She had so many questions for him. The words from the _miko_ seemed to swirl around her; around _them_ , but just now, she wasn't ready to ask.

And Ben... Ben wasn't ready to listen.

Not yet.

"Will you help me?"

The Adam's apple in Ben's throat jumped, but he nodded, then stood. Rey turned around, fingering the clasp at her back until she felt his fingers close around hers.

She was too aware of his breath on her neck as he helped her disrobe. Again.

Once he helped her step out of the day’s garment, he walked away, laying the bulk across a nearby _tansu_. He did so gently; careful not to crease it.

Rey watched him, hovering next to the bed in her shift, holding her elbows. When he turned back to her, he paused.

“Why did you stay?” he asked.

She met his eyes. A part of her crumbled underneath his scrutiny, so she clung tightly to herself to hold everything together.

“You know why.”

He huffed in frustration at her answer, stalking back to the other side of their bed. He was so tall that his eyes were almost hidden by the canopy.

“No. I don’t.”

She climbed into bed, pulling the covers up to her shoulders, laying on her side. Facing him.

“It’s... early,” she said, “We should sleep.”

He hesitated, but then he extinguished the lone oil lamp and joined her, folding himself under the silk sheets. For a moment she thought he’d face away from her, but he didn’t. Instead, he mirrored her, resting on his side. He raised a hand between them in the gathering dark, but again, didn’t touch.

For a few stolen moments, they just breathed. Rey’s eyes fluttered closed — somehow, she _was_ tired — and then —

“I can’t sleep without you here,” he whispered. “After you were stolen, I didn’t. And then... now, with you... I slept.”

Rey opened her eyes. She could only see the planes of his face: pale lines, sharp and soft in the shadows.

She touched his forearm, pulling herself close, settling herself in his embrace. He let her. When she pressed her face to his chest, she could hear his heartbeat — a steady _thump, thump, thump_. Like any other man.

He was Ben, and she was Rey. For all he’d done...

She felt a phantom touch at the top of her crown; his lips.

“I’m here now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> || NOTES
> 
>  _Haori_ — The "shirt" portion of a traditional Shinto wedding kimono, worn by the groom.  
>  _Yagura_ — The Japanese word for "tower", "turret", "keep", or "scaffold."  
>  _Wasen_ — A traditional Japanese boat.  
>  _Miko_ — In Shinto, a miko is a shrine (jinja) maiden or a supplementary priestess.  
>  _Futō_ — A word for wharf in Japanese.  
>  _Tansu_ — A traditional storage cabinet in Japan.
> 
> — — —
> 
> Thank you for reading! I've decided I'm not above begging for comments/feedback, so please, feel free to share your thoughts or hit me up on [Tumblr](http://rebelrebelreylo.tumblr.com/) or [Twitter](https://twitter.com/rebelrebelreylo) @rebelrebelreylo.
> 
> Check out the playlist for this fic [here](https://open.spotify.com/user/jct1dm8alp830w7tcgg635ujj/playlist/02POQ0A4nSLOghKF22AUjh).
> 
> Finally, if you're enjoying this story and want to get email notifications when it's updated, please feel free to hit that Subscribe button! Thanks again, everyone. :)


	13. jū san

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Night painted the sky with stars when Rey woke, nestled in her husband’s arms.
> 
> His sleeping breath caught on her ear, soft and warm and tickling. She closed her eyes again, sighing, savoring the moment before she rose, careful not to jostle —
> 
> His arms tightened around her, and lips ghosted over the shell of her ear.
> 
> "Thank you."
> 
> Rey hesitated, then turned to face him. 
> 
> "You slept," she murmured. His palms cupped her cheeks, and he kissed her nose.
> 
> "Yes."
> 
> His mouth hovered over hers, and Rey couldn't help it — where she'd been warm, now she burned again. So she breathed him in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies again for how long this took! I was soooo blocked on this story, but I thankfully made my way past it. I love this story a little too much sometimes, I think. Either way, all of your thoughts and encouragement and lovely support really, truly makes it all worthwhile. Thank you!
> 
> And, of course, this chapter and this story benefits so much from my amazing beta, [Inmyownidiom](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Inmyownidiom/pseuds/Inmyownidiom)! Thank you again for your wonderful and supportive feedback.
> 
> I also had some fun making this "GIF trailer" for this fic:
> 
>  
> 
> I hope you enjoy. :D

Baze Malbus knew fear.

Fear was an old friend, a constant companion, a _buruburu_ crawling along his skin like the brush of a building tempest.

But he never let it wash him away.

No. Baze didn’t let fear overcome him. He couldn’t. Not when he had someone to protect.

Though Chirrut would say that in the _Taiheiyo_ , it was the other way around.

He had a point. This time, they’d been lucky — after two days travel to deliver the Admiral’s message to the _Hime_ , they’d seen few _kami_ in the forest’s depths.

Speaking for himself, of course. Chirrut saw them all.

The forest was where they lived. The forest was where they _breathed_.

When his nights were quiet, Baze sometimes wondered if his friend would rather see _Shinkai_ or this world. To see the other side…

He never asked.

It didn’t matter what the answer was. For every shining _aosaginohi_ or many-tailed _kitsune_ , red and keen-eyed, there were the others; dangerous, deadly. A _jami_ rustling among the rocks. A _jorōgumo_ who would lure you into her web and feast on your limbs. Only the man who could see them all would not fear spirits such as these.

Two days and they’d come across nothing. Until, finally, they could see the treetops; through their arms, _Amaterasu_ pink and peaking on a faraway horizon.

Rain fell fat and fresh, and she came, blocking their path to the Sun Lands.

“ _Meiyo_ ,” called Chirrut. He slunk to his knees in front of the spirit; _Ameonna_ , bringer of rain. Baze stood stoic behind him, but he lowered his eyes once he got his look at her — slight, with dark hair that streamed down a pretty face. Her eyes were blue like the downpour, and her body blended in with the black bark of the trees.

She licked her hand, tasting the tears of _Susanoo_ , and smiled.

“So close,” she croaked. Her voice caked their ears like a clap of thunder.

“Yes,” agreed Chirrut, “We bear a message for the _Hime_ of _Asu_. May we pass?”

The wet woman nodded.

“Surely. I am no guardian of this gate; I cannot stop you.” A spark of humor glinted in her eye, and her smile widened.

Chirrut rose, using his staff to find his feet, and Baze followed him as they passed her. The rain came down harder until they, too, were soaked to their skins.

They walked another half hour until they could see the Great Palace in the distance, golden top gleaming under the rising sun.

And then the great wolf howled.

Baze reacted immediately. In the space of a breath, he held his lightbow taut, aiming for any sound. The keening cry died, swallowed by the trees.

“Steady, friend,” cautioned Chirrut. “You can’t kill the _Ōkami_.”

Baze frowned, but he didn’t lower his lightbow.

 _Crunch_.

A hot breath raked Baze’s ear, rustling his curls, but he held still. His pulse beat like a drum in his neck.

Slowly, the wolf spirit prowled around him, stopping just shy of his friend, teeth bared. The beast was so close Baze could see its breath puff into mist against Chirrut’s cheeks.

Yellow eyes found milky white, and _Iza’s_ best smuggler raised a hand to the wolf’s shaggy face.

“Wise one,” he murmured, “We come with news for her Majesty. News from the Admiral.”

The beast lowered its head and allowed Chirrut to stroke its snout; the massive jaw sliding shut. Wet fingers combed through brown fur, and Chirrut smiled.

“Come, Baze. We follow.”

And they did — through the remaining trees, down the mountainside, and into the palace orchards as dawn broke upon a crying sky.

The great _Ōkami_ saw them all the way to the throne room, where they bowed before her: the woman in white and gold. Around them, the sunlight streamed in through windows made of crown glass. Next to her stood a gray man — gray robes, gray beard, gray face.

The great wolf spirit sat on its haunches as the man surveyed them with tired eyes. Once, Baze thought those eyes must’ve blazed a brighter blue than the _Shima_ sea, but now they looked dull, all sharpness suffocated under a weight he couldn’t see.

“There aren’t many men who could escape Hago’s jaws,” remarked the _Hime_. Unlike her _kannushi_ , her eyes were shrewd. “Who are you?”

“The best smuggler in _Iza_ ,” quipped Chirrut, still wearing a grin, “and my surly companion is who they call the Guardian.”

The gray man raised a bushy brow at Baze.

He scowled back. If anyone was surly…

“We come with a message for the _Hime_ from her Admiral,” Baze cut in. “A willowy woman and a man, the Commander of your _bushi_.”

“I see,” the man said, clasping hands together in front of his robes. “And you expect us to take the word of two strangers? You could’ve tortured and killed both Admiral and Commander and be here at the behest of the E— _Shōgun_.”

The syllable he traded drew the royal’s eye; a stare that saw a storm of sadness rage through in a blink.

Chirrut stroked the fur of the _Ōkami’s_ muzzle again, chuckling.

“Yes.”

“Enough, Luke,” said the _Hime_ , throwing out a small hand as if to swat a fly. “These men are who they say, that much is obvious.”

She met Baze’s eyes, then looked at Chirrut.

“What news from Holdo?”

 

**— — —**

 

Night painted the sky with stars when Rey woke, nestled in her husband’s arms.

His sleeping breath caught on her ear, soft and warm and tickling. She closed her eyes again, sighing, savoring the moment before she rose, careful not to jostle —

His arms tightened around her, and lips ghosted over the shell of her ear.

"Thank you."

Rey hesitated, then turned to face him.

"You slept," she murmured. His palms cupped her cheeks, and he kissed her nose.

"Yes."

His mouth hovered over hers, and Rey couldn't help it — where she'd been warm, now she burned again. So she breathed him in.

The kiss started soft, but then it scorched the air between them; blazing electricity that connected their bodies like a live wire. Ben's hands caged her close, and Rey buried hers in his hair; she found herself rubbing her legs together, pressing herself closer, _closer_ to his warmth, like a moth drawn to a flame.

Something guttural let loose in the air, and Rey couldn't even wonder which one of them made the sound before Ben shifted, covering her body with his. His mouth left hers, and she stared up at his glittering black eyes.

"What do you say if not ‘good morning’?" she asked, breathing a bit hard.

He chuckled. Large hands wrapped around her thighs, and then he yanked her closer, thrusting her against him. The friction forced another groan from the back of her throat. Their sleep clothes weren't much of a barrier.

His hands pushed hers up, up, till she was stretched long and taut on the bed. His fingers intertwined with hers, face coming close again.

"You say ‘good night’," he murmured. The timbre of his voice sunk into her skin; tingling and tight and terrific.

Then he kissed her again, pinning her down, pressing himself against her, but she needed _more_ —

A knock broke the heated silence, and Ben slipped away, causing a frustrated hiss to fall from her lips.

"Who is it?" he asked. His voice was cloaked in barely disguised fury; she could see the veins in his pale arms peeking from underneath his skin. She expected Rose or perhaps Paige to answer, but instead, a cool, clipped voice came from the other side of the door.

"Phasma."

 

— — —

 

_“Come here, Rey. I want to show you something.”_

_The small girl scowled but obeyed, ducking her head as she joined the Hime on the footpath to the palace gardens. Down the path, she could just make out a grunting, sweaty boy twirling a Tachi between the blossoms._

_Leia gestured for the girl to sit next to her on a small stone bench._

_“What do you know about our history?” Leia asked._

_As Rey aged, she would realize more and more just how small a woman Leia was — but now, at the tender age of 11, she fit too snugly in the Hime’s embrace to notice. Leia was warm and soft and she held her as her own mother had._

_Rey shrugged. “I don’t know. There was a Queen, before you.”_

_“That’s right,” Leia murmured, brushing a piece of Rey’s hair away from her face, “My mother, Padmé. Joō of Asu. Amaterasu’s light, through and through. They called her the Golden Queen.”_

_“I thought they called you that.” Rey said, looking up into Leia’s eyes. The royal smiled softly._

_“Not that I’ve heard, but if they do, I would be honored,” she said, wistful. “She was… an impressive woman. A generous and just ruler. Under her reign, Asu flourished as it never has since.”_

_Rey frowned._

_“My onshi told me that that was when Iza rebelled against Asu.”_

_Leia pressed a palm against one of Rey’s cheeks, smile fading._

_“And your onshi is right. But that’s a story for another day.”_

_While Leia spoke, Rey’s attention drifted back to the sounds of steel clashing against stone. Gently, Leia turned the girl’s face back to her._

_“I see you look at Ben, and I know it. It’s the same look Luke used to have.”_

_“Luke?” Rey asked. Confusion curled around her eyes, creasing them into a squint._

_Leia nodded._

_“I didn’t know her, you know. Padmé. She died giving birth to us. After, they separated us. My mother’s steward and his wife raised me, and they sent Luke away. To learn how to become a Skywalker. By the time he returned, we barely knew each other.”_

_It was a hard thing to imagine. Rey knew the twins as inseparable; two parts of a three-point star, with Leia at the center between her brother and her husband._

_Still, she knew Leia would never lie to her._

_“I’m sorry, Leia. I don’t understand…”_

_Leia glanced over Rey’s head, at her son — a boy of fourteen playing both sides; a burden he had every right to bear. But that didn’t mean he should._

_She turned back to the small girl._

_“You have an important part to play, Rey, just like Padmé. Yes — Ben will become the leader of this country, but so will you. You’ll need each other, and Asu will need you two together, too. Don’t waste precious time on jealousy.”_

_Rey considered the words, then raised her head to Leia, looking determined._

_“Can I have a sword?”_

_Leia smiled again._

 

— — —

 

“Don’t slouch.”

Rey leveled the woman with the coldest look she could muster, but her new _kyoushi_ was already so glacial it only made her tight smile widen, seeping into the hollows of her pale cheeks.

Bare minutes had passed since Rey had joined her in her one of the many apartments connected to the royal suite, and already, she was having trouble not rolling her eyes at every critical comment.

Rey lifted her chin and forced her shoulders back. Next to her, Rose and Paige kept their eyes on the floor.

“Better. Marginally.”

The woman, Phasma, was as cutting as she was cold. Somehow, she was taller than even Ben — and seemingly made of steel: all straight lines, stiff and wrapped in silver silks that covered all but her face.

Those eyes glittered like ice as she took in Rey’s apparently poor posture before they fell on the Tico sisters.

“She’s naked. Why?”

Both girls flinched. Rey glared at the woman.

“I’m not — ”

“Pardon, Empress,” Phasma interrupted, “But your shoulders and arms are exposed. And your skirts…” She trailed off, a sneer curling her thin lips.

“Forgive me, Lady,” offered Rose, “but the Empress is she who is kissed by sun _and_ starlight.”

Rose’s words were soft but sharp. They sliced at the sneer on Phasma’s face, forcing it to fall away.

“Very well,” Phasma sighed. “We shall see how the _daimyō_ receive you.”

“I am the Empress. They won’t _receive_ me,” Rey added, eyes narrowing, “they will honor me.”

Phasma raised a brow.

“Indeed, Your Majesty.”

Rey nodded, raising her head a little more, and she could’ve sworn she saw the side of Phasma’s mouth twitch.

“Now,” Rey continued, “tell me why the _Shōgun_ feels I will benefit from your tutelage.”

The change in Phasma’s expression was a tiny thing; barely noticeable at all. Except Rey had been waiting for it.

A slight crease near her brow this time. Surprise. Suspicion.

“The _Shōgun_ , Empress? Don’t you mean your husband?”

Rey paused.

“No. I mean the _Shōgun_.”

On either side of her, the Tico sisters stirred but did not speak.

“What do you know of _Iza’s_ political and religious landscape, Empress?”

Rey held her gaze.

“Not much, I’m afraid.”

“No… you wouldn’t, would you?”

The words were just on the other side of condescending, but Rey let them pass.

“You were born to a seafaring people with little knowledge of culture or governance outside of what was suitable for a small island settlement, only to see that culture perish… then, promised to royalty that would upend a thousand years of matriarchy…” she trailed off, still staring.

She wasn’t without beauty, but something ugly sank into her face, burrowing into each crease and crevice.

“And you,” she breathed the words, “a heathen from the muck of the sea, bruised and burned by the sun, Skywalker _scum_ … will rule my country.”

Rey smiled at Phasma’s scowl.

“Yes. I will.”

A long moment hovered over their heads before Phasma spoke again.

“Best learn how to, then.”

“That’s what I’m waiting for,” Rey remarked. She considered tapping her foot but managed to restrain herself.

Phasma shot her a look that suggested she knew exactly what Rey had considered, but didn’t address it.

“Upon gaining independence from the neighboring nation of _Asu_ by the grace of _Tsukiyomi_ and he who split the sky _, Iza’s_ new Emperor appointed the first _Shōgun_. He granted parcels of land to each of the ruling families; those who served him well in our liberation from under a vengeful goddess. These fathers are the _daimyō_.”

“I understand,” Rey acknowledged, “but shouldn’t they bow before their new Emperor?”

“The Emperor is heir to _Tsukiyomi_ ; his eyes and ears from _Shinkai_ ,” continued Phasma, watching her close, “but it is the _Shōgun_ who oversees the _daimyō_ and their respective territories. They control huge swaths of this country; determine the lives and livelihoods of thousands. Yes, they will kneel. Kylo Ren is a piece of their god. But he is not of Snoke’s blood; he must prove _Tsukiyomi’s_ choice in him as his heir before they will swear their allegiance.”

She paused, eyes lingering on the exposed skin of Rey’s throat.

“And his choice in you.”   

Rey’s fingers twitched at her sides. Fingers that itched for something sharp of her own.

“You’re saying I’ll have to prove I’ve been chosen by _Amaterasu_ and _Tsukiyomi_. That this union is what the gods want.”

Phasma nodded.

“A woman must have some kind of value, or else she is nothing but a mother,” she drawled, “You must be more than that. You must be a mother to all of the _Iza_ people.”

Her icy eyes swept over all of Rey, seeking… something.

“And to those savages who worship the sun.”

 

— — —

 

_“What did she show you?”_

_Rey looked up from her letters. She couldn’t grip the pretty pen Ben practiced with the right way, but she could write with an ordinary quill._

_And, if she couldn’t learn to write the way Ben could, that was all right. She’d always have him to help her._

_“About your grandmother. The Golden Queen.”_

_Ben frowned, sidling closer to Rey sitting at his desk. She liked stealing his favorite spots — if only to see him get exasperated. He always ended up sharing with her, anyway._

_“Why?”_

_Rey shrugged, pressing her quill back to her paper._

_“She wanted to tell me about her.”_

_“Yes, by why?” he insisted. Rey looked back up at him._

_“Are you jealous?”_

_He grimaced._

_“Jealous? I’m not — no. No. I just wondered what she said, that’s all.”_

_Rey sighed, putting down her quill._

_“She told me the story of her and Luke. And your grandmother and how she ruled. And how… how we would rule, someday.”_

_At that, Ben stiffened. Just then Rey noticed he was carrying his calligraphy set. Clearly, he’d been intending on his own practice — now that he’d completed his daily exercises with the blade._

_“I don’t want to rule.”_

_His words came out a whisper, just for her. His eyes, like always, were dark and deep as the Shima sea._

_“Me neither,” Rey admitted, sliding off his seat, “but at least we’ll figure it out together.”_

_For the second time that day, a Solo smiled._

 

— — —

 

“ — and then he turned to me and said, ‘You’re a fool! A brave one, but still a fool.”

Rose smiled broadly behind her veil.

“He was right,” she agreed, “But I imagine bravery often feels foolish. Otherwise, how could it be bravery?”

Finn nodded, taking a small sip of his tea.

“Good point,” he said, smiling, “Without the risk… it’s hardly heroic, is it? Wise.” He tipped his teacup to her.

Rose liked Finn’s smile. In the few times she’d taken tea with him, she’d been amazed at how bright it was — bright enough to burn away all doubt, all darkness. Rose wasn’t a fool. She may have been born in _Iza_ , but she knew things still hid in the country’s shadows. Dangerous things.

She shook her head, clearing her mind of her musings. Finn’s smile reminded her of Rey’s; that was another reason she liked it. They both boasted such infectious grins she couldn’t help smiling back at them.

Even if they couldn’t see it.

“So, what happened?” Rose asked. “Did your Captain commend you for saving Slip?”

Finn’s smile faded, and dread punctured the bubble of happiness that had been building in Rose’s chest.

“No,” he admitted, “No, she didn’t.”

“Your Captain was a woman?” Rose asked.

Something flickered across Finn’s face, too fast for Rose to catch.

“Yes,” he said, “In _Iza’s_ _ashigaru_. She was… Well, uncommon. A great warrior, but ruthless.”

Rose let out a low sigh.

“I didn’t think women could join the ranks,” she said.

“As I said, it isn’t common. And those that do, well… I imagine it takes a lot for them to get there. It was that way with Phasma.”

Rose yelped — she’d spilled hot tea on her hands.

“Are you all right?” Finn asked. Concern worried his brow, and he took her blistered fingers in his own. Hastily, he grabbed the towel he kept folded over his apron and cleaned her up.

Rose blushed — his hands were warm.

“It’s nothing, just…” she hesitated, but the words burst forth like water from a dam, “I know her. Lady Phasma.”

“You do?”

Rose nodded.

“She was at the _Shiro_ today, with…”

Finn leaned in as she trailed off.

“With the Empress?” he asked.

Rose stared.

“How did you know?” she asked, lowering her voice. “I’ve never…”

“From things you said,” he assured her, looking down at their intertwined hands, “I thought, well, you had to be… And after the wedding… It seemed obvious.”

Rose blushed even deeper, but she didn’t remove her hands from his.

“How is she?” he asked. The words were… almost a _plea_ , hushed with an edge of sadness that struck Rose right in the chest.

It was a tiny thing, but his tone was too _familiar_. Far too familiar.

“She is the Empress,” she answered, staring him down. Slowly, she extracted her hands from his. “She’s the most powerful woman in _Iza_ , and you’re asking after her health?”

He paused, looking for all the world like a frightened boy who’d been caught sneaking where he shouldn’t — and then, and _then_ , a mask of indifference marred his face, stealing the brightness away. It was as if Finn wasn’t even there anymore, replaced by a pale stranger; faceless and fraud.

“Yes,” he said forcefully, “I told you, Phasma is brutal. If she was brought to see the Empress, I thought…”

Rose wished she could feel relief — his words made some sense, after all — but something too large nagged at her.

“No need to worry yourself,” she said, trying to sound reassuring, “It wasn’t anything like that. Phasma came to tutor the Empress in time for the arrival of the _daimyō_.”

She would find out what it was.

 

— — —

 

No matter how long he meditated in _Tsukiyomi's_ temple, guilt still wormed its way into Kylo’s heart as he fell further and further into the void.

Until red light burned his eyelids, forcing him from his reverie. He blinked his eyes open, disturbed from his dreamwalking.

Rey stood over where he lay afloat in the pool, weightless, wandering. She wore what her _sābanto_ had dressed her in earlier; airy satins in a light lavender stolen from the first fall of dusk. Her long, lean arm ended with a torchlight in her hand.

“So,” she said, hazel eyes flecked with gold in the gloom, “this is where you worship.”

Her gaze moved from his face to his neck, then lower. Something tight took root in his chest, then followed her gaze south.

Kylo pushed himself back into a seated position in the pool, raising wet arms to rest on the sides of the stone lip. The guilt he’d been battling all night wasn’t gone; he could see a fire in Rey’s eyes that had nothing to do with her torch, and everything to do with being forced to treat with Phasma.

And yet, she’d come here.

_"Come with me. Show me more of the city. Please, Ben."_

She glanced around.

“Show me.”

Kylo cleared his throat. He couldn’t stop staring at how the torchlight cast shadows across her neckline, her exposed clavicle.

“There… isn’t much to show.” He raised his eyes to the rough hole cut in the ceiling of the shrine. Overhead, _Tsukiyomi_ only showed half his face. “In darkness we find freedom. Clarity.”

“Hmm,” Rey mused, smoothing nimble fingers along a silk ribbon around her waist. “I suppose I can see how that could be true. Even if I think the same is true of the light of day.”

Kylo’s only answer was a familiar twitch of his eye; his lip.

“Why do you need clarity?” she asked, “What do you seek freedom from?”

The words fell like petals on a pond, soft and floating. He hesitated, looking down at the smooth black water.

“Is it me?”

“No,” he insisted, voice hard. He looked back up at her. How had he torn his gaze away in the first place?

“Never,” he ground out, “ _Never_ , Rey. You are my clarity. You are my freedom. You must realize that by now.”

“What, then?” she asked. Her voice was still so quiet.

“Hux,” he admitted, lips twisting in displeasure. “Half a night planning with him for the arrival of so many warlords all grasping for power is enough to warrant hours of meditation. Trust me.”

He wanted her to say that she did — he could imagine the words dripping from her lips, warm and wanting like the rest of her, but they didn’t come.

Instead, she dropped the torch. It rolled a few feet away.

She undid her hair next, letting it fall to her shoulders.

Last was her gown.

“Rey,” he breathed, watching her slip the fabric from her shoulders, “what’re you — ?”

“Hush.”

His jaw snapped shut, and, naked, she stepped into the pool across from him, the water high enough that it came up to her navel.

“It’s warm.”

He cleared his throat again, eyes dragging up her body to her face.

“Yes.”

“I didn’t expect that.”

“What _did_ you expect?” he asked. She drew closer, fingers outstretched and trailing across the surface, causing tiny ripples. She shuddered a little, and his eyes couldn’t help but look at her breasts — peaked, pink, perfect.

“For it to be freezing,” she explained, stopping just in front of him. The pool wasn’t large, nor deep — just big enough for a man slightly larger than he to suspend his body in an effort to speak to a god. Where he sat, she stood, but she still only barely towered over him.

“Then again,” she whispered, “I probably would’ve noticed when I first saw you, hmm?”

Kylo bit the inside of his cheek. Slowly, he reached for her, taking her hips in his hands. She was so _small_.

Her hand found his face, and she brushed his wet hair back, tucking it behind his ears.

“Tomorrow, we tackle him together,” she murmured, “Phasma can spout wisdom while we plan for this War Council.”

He slid wet hands up both sides of her torso, and she whimpered.

“Whatever my Empress commands.”

She smiled, and he raised a hand to a breast, palming it lightly. Rey gasped, biting her lip.

He didn’t need to pull her closer — without words, she straddled him, lips hovering over his.

“I do.”

He kissed her deeply, hands toiling in her hair, thumbing her thighs and grazing her nipples; drinking every inch of her in. He wanted all of her, _always_.

When she moaned, he thanked _Tsukiyomi_ and _Amaterasu_ and _Susanoo_ and all the gods alive for this woman — the same woman positioning herself above his painfully hard cock; the same woman who sunk down on him with a strangled cry; the same woman who drove him deeper and deeper inside her with every thrust of her hips.

His hands held her wherever they could: sometimes soft — she was so sensitive under his touch — and sometimes rough, whatever she told him, whatever she needed. Whatever she asked, he gave her, would keep giving her.

Ripples. They made so many ripples under the half moon’s eye.

The first time she came, she kissed him, singing a new song so close to his lips.

The second time, he sang with her, and the sun rose overhead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> || NOTES
> 
> True [story](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Finn) about Finn, Phasma, and his buddy Slip!
> 
>  _Buruburu_ — A spirit or kami in Japanese folklore that causes the shivers, or cowardice.
> 
>  _Aosaginohi_ — A spirit or kami in Japanese folklore that appears as a night heron with a mysteriously illuminated body. The herons' feathers fuse into shining scales that give off an iridescent blue light in the dark of night, and its breath is also said to release golden powder into the air that collects to form a heat-less fiery light, though this light eventually dissipates in the wind. 
> 
> _Kitsune_ — The Japanese word for fox and closely associated with the spirits or kami; specifically, Inari Ōkami, the Japanese kami of foxes, fertility, rice, tea and sake, of agriculture and industry, of general prosperity and worldly success, and one of the principal kami of Shinto.
> 
>  _Jami_ — A wicked mountain spirit or kami in Japanese folklore.
> 
>  _Jorōgumo_ — A spider-woman spirit or kami in Japanese folklore.
> 
>  _Shinkai_ — The hidden “world” of Kami in Shinto mythology.
> 
>  _Ameonna_ — "rain woman;" a female spirit illustrated as a woman standing in the rain and licking her hand.
> 
>  _Lightbow_ — According to Wookieepedia, the lightbow was a complicated form of bowcaster native to Jedha and the traditional handcrafted weapon built by the Guardians of the Whills. I think in this AU, it's fairly similar, though likely less advanced.
> 
>  _Kannushi_ — The priest, or person responsible for the maintenance of a Shinto shrine as well as for leading worship of a given kami. They are also called shinshoku.
> 
>  _Joō_ — A word for "Queen" in Japanese.
> 
>  _Onshi_ — A word meaning, "formal, beloved teacher" in Japanese. 
> 
> _Kyoushi_ — A general term for "teacher" in Japanese.
> 
>  _Sābanto_ — A word for "servant" in Japanese.
> 
>  _Ashigaru_ — The foot soldiers in feudal Japan's military; the same is true for Iza and Asu. 
> 
> ||
> 
>  
> 
> Thank you for reading! I'd love to hear any feedback in a comment or feel free to share your thoughts on [Tumblr](http://rebelrebelreylo.tumblr.com/) or [Twitter](https://twitter.com/rebelrebelreylo) @rebelrebelreylo.
> 
> Check out the playlist for this fic [here](https://open.spotify.com/user/jct1dm8alp830w7tcgg635ujj/playlist/02POQ0A4nSLOghKF22AUjh).
> 
> Finally, if you're enjoying this story and want to get email notifications when it's updated, please feel free to hit that Subscribe button! Thanks again, everyone. :)


	14. jū yon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Too many eyes followed her.
> 
> The sun rose, and beneath the shrouds of their _Somen_ , the fathers of _Iza_ stared at the last Skywalker as she stole across their sky, stepping on the wind with bare feet. 
> 
> “What else can she do?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies again for how long this took! This chapter is less Ben and Rey, but I promise we're building to some real trials and tribulations for these two on a larger scale. They've been in their own little angst bubble for a while, but soon they're going to have to confront some ISH. As always, thank you so much for all of your thoughts and encouragement and lovely support — it's what keeps me writing!
> 
> As always, I have to thank my amazing beta, [Inmyownidiom](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Inmyownidiom/pseuds/Inmyownidiom)! Thank you again for your wonderful and supportive feedback. If you haven't checked out her stories, DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND GO RIGHT NOW. I don't even care if you click away from this fic, they're that amazing. PROMISE.
> 
> I also would be remiss if I didn't single out two amazing ladies I love who binged this fic and made my life with their reading and commenting on every chapter... thank you, thank you, THANK YOU to [SpaceWaffleHouseTM](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpaceWaffleHouseTM/pseuds/SpaceWaffleHouseTM/works) and [Ria84](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ria84/pseuds/Ria84/works)! I have also read their work and if you haven't read their stuff, DO IT.
> 
>  
> 
> I hope you enjoy. :D Thank you for reading!

Rose didn’t know what she was doing.

Well — that wasn’t strictly true. She _knew_ she was following Finn dangerously close to dawn, sticking to the shadows so he wouldn’t see her.

But she couldn’t fathom why she was taking the risk.

_How is she?_

The words plagued Rose each day Phasma schooled the Empress before the arrival of the _daimyō_ ; they burrowed into her belly and made her sick with unease.

It was the first time she remembered being grateful for her veil — it hid the constant crease of her brow, the sour twist of her lips as she considered the same question over and over on an endless loop.

How could Finn know Rey?

She could only think of one answer.

So here she was, one moon before the fathers of _Iza_ would gather to scrutinize the new Emperor and his bride, following a man who might be a traitor.

So far, it’d been easier than she could’ve hoped for. She hadn’t met Finn for tea that night — she trusted even less in her ability to lie to his face than this kind of subterfuge — but she knew he’d still work the late shift at the tea shop. So she waited outside, hoping she’d had the timing right. She only had so much time before Paige would notice she’d gone — or worse, the Empress.

Finn had left the hour before _Amaterasu_ would peak, quick in his steps toward the Sheets District. Not too far to make it, but still suspect… working so close to the palace, he should’ve been able to afford something better than the slums.

She followed the best she could, but he never looked back. Finally, after a quarter of an hour, he halted in front of a hovel-like inn. He cast a cursory glance around, forcing Rose to duck into a nearby alcove to avoid his eyes, then slipped inside.

The hour was late enough that the rest of the city already slept or hid from the cresting sun, so the narrow streets were still. Still enough for her to hear a whisper of voices carrying from one of the windows on the ground level of the inn.

Rose crept forward to try and listen. She stopped when she made out Finn’s voice, her back pressed hard against the inn’s outer wall, wedged between the open street and a dark alley. She had to crane her neck around the corner to make anything out.

“ — why she didn’t come today.”

“For the love of _Amaterasu_ , Finn — I told you, you shouldn’t have made contact with someone so close to her. It was too risky.”

“And sending a message to the _Hime_ by way of blind smuggler wasn’t?” Finn’s voice rang out into the early morning, electric and angry. “Don’t lecture me on taking risks, Poe. We’re talking about _Rey_ . She’s been here for more than a fortnight, caged with that — that _monster_ — ”

“Quiet,” commanded a new voice, distinctly soft, but unmistakably a woman. Rose clamped her mouth shut tighter, afraid she’d make a sound.

For a beat, no one spoke, and Rose felt her heart pounding hard in her chest. It was a war drum, an echo of the same rhythm she’d heard before her village was conquered by one of Snoke's  _shugo_ ; the sound of sold women and starved children.

“There’s no guarantee she knows,” the woman continued. “And it doesn’t matter. She has no proof, and from what you said about her, I don’t think she’d go to the Emperor or his _Shōgun._ She confirmed that the _daimyō_ arrive in the city tomorrow, yes?”

Finn must’ve nodded because after another breath, the woman kept speaking.

“Then she’ll be surrounded. We need more intelligence, and we need to await word from Leia. Chirrut and Baze will be close.”

“If they didn’t just take that message straight to the _Shōgun_ ,” the other man issued, voice dripping with undisguised disdain.

“We have to believe they didn’t,” the woman said, words still soft, but now tipped with steel. Like a newly forged _Tachi_. “If they had, we’d all be dead already, regardless of whether Rey’s handmaiden knew we were here to take her home to _Asu_.”

“Maybe,” the other man grunted. “But this isn’t a plan, Holdo. This waiting game is sticking to our skins. We need to _breathe_ , we need to do _something_. Finn’s right; Rey suffers while we sit here waiting for orders, waiting for the warlords to get their claws in her — ”

“You keep forgetting that Rey is too valuable to these people — to Hux, to his agenda — to be mistreated — ”

A hand appeared in the alley’s mouth, pressing against Rose’s veiled lips and stifling her gasp — but the hand was gentle, and when Paige rounded the corner, Rose calmed immediately, though her eyes grew wide. Her sister didn’t look the least bit surprised to find her there.

“ — for now, she’s safe. Trust me.”

There was another pause in the room of spies, one that stretched like silence over winter: cold and howling and horrible.

“I don’t,” Finn finally said.  

“For now, you have to.”

After that, Rose’s sister dragged her back to the palace before the day could dawn.

 

— — —

 

Kylo Ren didn’t wear red.

When the first of the _daimyō_ entered the Night City, they would see him — a shade among the shimmering lights, wearing shadows on obsidian sleeves.

His wife was another matter.

Silken scarlet twisted around her, climbing all the way up to her neck like ivy, clinging to every curve like a second skin. If he would be seen, she would be _noticed_.

A smile tugged at his lips at the thought, so he bit the inside of his cheek to hold it at bay.

Hux didn’t seem to share his restraint. In fact, the _Shōgun_ practically _preened_ at the sight of the approaching warlords, glancing back and forth between their procession and Rey, himself, and their attending _sābanto_.

By the time the first _daimyō_ met them at the city gates to the south, Hux’s smirk had wormed its way so far across his face that it reminded Kylo of _Kuchisake-onna_ — the masked, slit-mouthed spirit spoken of in whispers: she who terrorized innocents by giving them a smile to match hers.  

It was a good reminder — he knew the _Shōgun_ was just as quick with a knife as the _kami_.  

The first of the _daimyō_ drew near; dark-haired with a touch of red in even darker eyes, mounted atop a warhorse with blue dye in its mane. Kylo would’ve known this man simply by reputation if he hadn’t met him once already.

His throat tightened; his stomach clenched around nothing.

“Thrawn, welcome,” Hux said through a smirk, eyes glinting with excitement.

The lean man dipped his head in acknowledgment, eyes lingering on Rey before he slid from his horse. He wasn’t much taller than her, but it barely mattered — the sharpness of his angled face and red-ringed eyes was imposing enough.

“Kylo Ren.”

Thrawn’s voice was like _Ryūjin_ rising from the depths of the sea: deep, slow, _slick_. Some of it was the dialect of the south, where he’d controlled the largest region of the country aside from the capital close to thirty years. Every word held _intention_ — exactly as one would expect of the man who’d spent his life torturing smugglers who stole across _Iza_ ’s border by way of the shoreline. The rest was uniquely Thrawn: slinking out of his mouth like a monster stirred.

He was as ruthless — and cunning — as the dragon god who slept underneath the sea, always ready to rise from the depths for more blood.

Kylo inclined his head to the man, but didn’t speak. It was enough — Thrawn turned to his retinue of servants, giving instructions for once they’d marched through the city and settled inside the _Shiro_.

Behind him, more mounts carrying more men trotted forward, many of them attended by litters of their own, _ashigaru_ and _kenin_ alike. Kylo counted the horses: all twenty _shugo_.

He bristled at the thought of so many men in the Red Palace. He felt Rey stir next to him, and the anxiety gnawing at his insides sharpened.

“You did as I commanded?” he asked Hux, voice low.

Hux glanced at him. Kylo just caught the tiniest crease of the man’s brow; otherwise, he seemed perfectly at ease.

“Against my better judgment, yes. All the women apart from your wife, her two attendants and Phasma have been moved to the country estate until our guests leave.”

Kylo arched a brow.

“And Kanata?”

Hux’s smirk tightened and spread like cracked leather.

“And Kanata.”

“Good.”

Something halfway between a snigger and a scoff erupted from Hux’s throat.

“And we will cite _propriety_.”

“Alongside comfort. For their own _sābanto_ , of course.”

He could feel Rey’s eyes flickering between them and each of the approaching newcomers, but she didn’t speak.

He wasn’t sure if that made him feel more at ease, or more anxious. There was so much he hadn’t prepared her for…  

He wanted more than anything to take her away from these people; to bury his head in the sand, or better yet, between his wife’s legs. But he’d done this — he’d seized power in one fell swoop without a second thought. To save her… to save them.

Hadn’t they always been meant to rule together?

And Rey… He didn’t know anyone as strong or as resilient as Rey. That gave him some measure of comfort, at least.

Either way, he didn’t have time to question his choice — not here. Not now.

_Anxious, then._

He imagined he wore his mask, eyeless and impassive, and kept his gaze forward, toward the approaching mass. He recognized most faces he could discern in the distance — Tarkin, stiff and ancient atop a stately steed; Kuni and his hoard of zealots; Bane and his brothers four; Rae and Rax… So many that he knew, so many that he loathed. Those that he didn’t stuck out like flowers in the forest.

Hux cleared his throat.

“Shall we proceed?”

Kylo nodded, then held out his arm to Rey. She took it.

“To the Palace.”

 

— — —

 

Kylo would’ve liked to keep some distance between Rey and the rest of them — in fact, he would’ve liked to summon his Red Blades and keep them trailing behind, but the idea was too indulgent, too dangerous. He had to win these men over.

So he did nothing when Tarkin approached, Amedda in tow.

“Kylo.” Tarkin nodded in greeting. Like Thrawn and the others, he’d dismounted as a sign of respect. Now he strode behind Rey, straight-backed and steady for his age.

“So this is our soon-to-be Empress,” Amedda remarked. He smiled with teeth yellow with rot: a straight grimace more than a smile. It was an ugly contrast to the bright blue of his eyes and his _tatami_. Like Thrawn — his neighbor to the south — he used rare dye to notate his rank.

Rey didn’t smile back. Demurely, she inclined her head.

“The one Snoke sought so many years?” Tarkin asked. He spoke of Rey like she was chattel. “Heir to _Shima_?”

Panic prickled Kylo’s heart, clutching it in an iron grip, but before he could answer, Rey spoke.

“I am.” Now _she_ smiled. “I am she who is kissed by sun and starlight.”

She raised her head to the stars above, smile widening, bright and bewitching. The effect was staggering, especially in contrast to Amedda’s stinking smirk — it was like Rey truly _had_ been chosen by _Amaterasu_ to treat with them; too beautiful to be of this world.

Both _daimyō_ looked surprised at her declaration, but recovered quickly enough.

“Wed to a Skywalker,” Amedda said with a sniff, “Stars… sunlight… I would see the truth of such a claim.”

Tarkin raised a gray eyebrow.

“As would I.”

Rey paused, her arm tightening around Kylo’s, fingers closing around his wrist.

“Patience,” she scolded softly. “Dawn approaches.”

This time, Kylo didn’t hold back his own smile.

 

— — —

 

Too many eyes followed her.

The sun rose, and beneath the shrouds of their _Somen_ , the fathers of _Iza_ stared at the last Skywalker as she stole across their sky, stepping on the wind with bare feet.

“What else can she do?”

Kylo turned dead eyes to the man who spoke — Shi, of the westerlands — but Hux answered.

“She is light made flesh,” he drawled.

Just then, something flashed in the distance; a bright spot on a burning horizon. It was too quick to see properly, but it’d almost looked like Rey…

Kylo shook his head. It must’ve been his imagination.

“As our new Emperor is darkness born into bone,” the _Shōgun_ continued. “Together, they will conquer this world for us.”

There was a pause, then —

“Perhaps.” Lady Sindian simpered. “She’s proven to be unburnt, at least. You _could_ say she’s simply a heathen.”

A muscle jumped in Kylo’s cheek.

“She’s a miracle,” Kuni said. He gripped the edge of the palace balcony with gloved fingers — as if he longed for the same sunlight Rey wore on _his_ skin, supple and scintillating.

“She is certainly someone I wish to meet,” said Casterfo. Kylo eyed the man — he was one of the few he hadn’t yet met, which made him easy to recognize. Like Thrawn, he had a reputation: young, handsome, and _moderate_.

“And you shall,” Hux promised, “Shall we proceed to the reception?”

Many of the men (and two women, Kylo amended) murmured their assent, though a few remained quiet, staring at his wife as she made her way back to the _Shiro_ , silk still clinging to her skin in a river of red.

He looked down at his hands. Without realizing, he’d clenched them into fists.

 

— — —

 

“Empress,” Rose said, peering up at Rey as she tightened her sash, “I need to tell you something.” The small woman’s hands shook as she spoke; Rey could feel them vibrating through the fabric.

“What’s wrong?” she asked. It was only her, Rose and Paige in the royal suite, but they were expected to join the others as soon as —

The doors to the suite swung open, and Rose spoke no further.

“Rose, Paige. Leave us.”

Ben’s command was softer than Rey had ever heard it before, and he’d never used either of the women’s names. They seemed to notice the change, freezing in place.

“Please.”

His plea stirred both sisters, who bowed low before they left the room. Rey watched Rose go, but she didn’t look back.

“Are you ready?” Ben asked as he drew close. He’d shed his armor and his gloves; warm hands encircled hers.

“Yes,” she replied. The word seemed to stick in her throat, but she managed it with a small smile.  

He let out a long sigh, bowing his head so it touched hers.

“You did well,” he whispered. His hand came up to cup her cheek, brushing the bone with his thumb, and her breathing stuttered a little at the touch.

“Are you surprised?”

“No,” he chuckled. “You were always better at this sort of thing than I was. Everyone always loved you.”

“You sound jealous.”

His eyes flickered over her face.

“Maybe at times,” he admitted. “But not now. I…” He looked away, then back at her again, and a crescendo rose in her chest; waves crashing against her heart like a battering ram. “I hate this.”

She couldn’t banish the thought that he’d been about to say something else entirely, but she pressed on anyway.

“This?”

“These people, grasping for power. Hux. The game they play.”

Rey frowned. The water in her lungs dripped away, spreading underneath her skin.

“Then why play it?” she asked, narrowing her eyes. “We don’t need to do any of this, Ben. You know that.”

His palm fell away from her face, but he didn’t let go of her other hand, even as he rolled his shoulders — the familiar tick. She knew what it meant, and was prepared for him to argue.

But he didn’t.

“Come.” His grip tightened. “They’re waiting.”

He turned, beginning to pull her with him, but she stayed where she was. He hesitated and she wrapped an arm around his waist, pulling him close. Her nails grazed his shoulder as she pressed her face to his chest, and he returned the gesture, fingertips dancing across her exposed skin.

She held him for a few heartbeats before she looked back up into his eyes, somehow solemn and confused at the same time. She tilted her head up and kissed him then — soft, slow, sweet.

“They can wait a little longer.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> || NOTES
> 
>  
> 
>  _Kuchisake-onna_ — the “Slit-Mouth Woman,” a malevolent figure appearing in Japanese ghost stories dating back to the Edo period.
> 
>  _Sābanto_ — A word for "servant" in Japanese.
> 
>  _Shugo_ — A title, commonly translated as "(military) governor", "protector" or "constable", given to certain officials in feudal Japan. They were each appointed by the _Shōgun_ to oversee one or more of the provinces. In the context of this story, I’m seeing them as the sort of head _daimyō_ and also inspired by the Moffs in Star Wars.
> 
>  _Kenin_ — Members of the Samurai class, meaning "housemen;" they were administrators or vassals, meaning they held land. In this story, they hold power and influence, but each serves a specific ruling _shugo_. 
> 
> _Tatami_ — Lightweight, portable folding Japanese armor worn during the feudal era of Japan by the samurai.
> 
>  **Fun Fact!**  
>  Within the samurai class, only high-ranking warriors were allowed to fight on horseback; i.e. why the _shugo_ have mounts in this chapter.
> 
>  
> 
> ||  
>  
> 
> I promise, more politics — and more Ben and Rey ANGST — next time. 
> 
> Thank you for reading! I'd love to hear any feedback in a comment or feel free to share your thoughts on [Tumblr](http://rebelrebelreylo.tumblr.com/) or [Twitter](https://twitter.com/rebelrebelreylo) @rebelrebelreylo.
> 
> Check out the playlist for this fic [here](https://open.spotify.com/user/jct1dm8alp830w7tcgg635ujj/playlist/02POQ0A4nSLOghKF22AUjh).
> 
> Finally, if you're enjoying this story and want to get email notifications when it's updated, please feel free to hit that Subscribe button! Thanks again, everyone. :)


	15. jū go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey took a step back, forcing his hand to fall back to his side.
> 
> “You’re jealous.”
> 
> A muscle jumped in Ben’s cheek.
> 
> “I didn’t like the way he looked at you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS TOOK FOREVER AND I AM SORRY. I have many reasons — the Reylo Writing Den Anniversary Exchange (I wrote a [Breakfast Club](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18614290/chapters/44137612) where is Rey basically Bender, if you're interested), choosing to incorporate characters inspired by real Japanese feudal lords and Star Wars EU characters, LIFE. I'm so sorry and I hope this politics-stuffed chapter is worth the wait, despite the lack of one-on-one Ben and Rey time. I promise we're building to STUFF.
> 
> As always, thank you so much for all of your thoughts and encouragement and lovely support — it's what keeps me writing! Which sometimes I really do need, so it means a lot. ❤️
> 
> As always, I have to thank my amazing beta, [Inmyownidiom](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Inmyownidiom/pseuds/Inmyownidiom)! She helped me so much with this chapter and I cannot thank her enough. If you haven't read her work, GO DO IT NOW, she never ceases to amaze. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy. 😊 Thank you for reading!

Eyes followed her everywhere.

Brown, blue, black, lavender and green — even eyes ringed in red. She suppressed a shudder every time she caught those ones staring.

Rey hated the attention. She hated the lingering looks and the simpering smiles; she even hated those who looked afraid or awed when she met their gaze.

She glanced at Ben. He’d forgone his mask, but he wore one far worse than his _Somen_ : that of Kylo Ren. It was all he thought he could be here, in this place. With these people.

Still, she thought she saw him flex his jaw each time he caught one of them looking too long.

Thankfully, the reception was too informal for the throne room — she hadn’t gone back there since Snoke, and she didn’t care to. Instead, their guests meandered around a larger dining hall, drinking and mingling into the morning. True to her promise, she’d held her tongue (mostly) as the _Shōgun_ towed them to each of the twenty warlords.

“ _Tennō_ , Empress — it’s my pleasure to introduce Shi, of the Mazu clan. He’s held the Westerlands since before you were born,” Hux introduced the latest in a string of  _shugo_.

Rey didn’t bow, but she did nod respectfully to the man: short, bald, and bearded, with beady black eyes.

“She is beautiful, _Tennō_ ,” he murmured, inclining his head toward Ben. “A true treasure. To watch her stream across the sky, dancing with the dawn… I wouldn’t have believed it had I not seen it myself.”

Shi looked at her the way Snoke had: like a prized possession. Ben’s gaze followed his, and when he spoke, he addressed Rey.

“You are beautiful,” he said. He skimmed her arm with a gloved thumb, and she had to suppress a completely different kind of shudder this time.

“I thought the capital was as far west as west could go,” Rey remarked, keeping her eyes on Shi. No matter that her cheeks burned at Ben’s compliment.

“No,” murmured Shi, still regarding her. His voice spilled out of his lips like tree sap, slow and sticking. “To the south, beneath the curve of the _Taiheiyo_ , we reign over the westernmost point of _Iza_ , Empress. But we would expand further west… And see the north as well.”   

Rey raised a brow, but Hux spoke before she could reply.

“ _Asu_ awaits us, friend, rest assured. The _Hime —_ ”

“Forgive me, honorable _Shōgun_ , but I do not speak of war,” Shi interrupted, “But exploration. Tell me, Empress — what of _Shima_ do you remember?”

Rey froze, stunned into momentary silence by the question. Shi still hadn’t looked away, small eyes unblinking. They reminded her of Unkar’s, though more curious than cruel.

“The sea,” she finally said.

“‘The sea’,” he repeated. “I suppose that makes sense. It was your livelihood and your god, and so would determine your customs, as heretical as they might’ve— ”

“Am I right in remembering you value scholarship?” Ben asked. He took a slight step forward, pulling her with him. He towered over them both.

“Yes, _Tennō_. Scholarship is a staple of my house— ”

“I’m glad to hear it,” Ben continued, voice flat enough to make her flinch. “While you’re in the capital, you might like to visit the shrine of _Susanoo_. Perhaps as a reminder of what the god of sea and storms does with heretics.”

Shi’s beady eyes widened a fraction, but he looked more pleased than insulted.

“Yes, _Tennō_.”

Ben didn’t waste another breath on bidding the  _daimyō_ goodbye; he simply stalked away, Rey following, but she saw Hux bow respectfully out of the corner of her eye.

“You didn’t need to do that,” Rey whispered as Ben led her to a quiet spot.

“I did.”

“Ben— ”

“It’s not his place to question you.”

“It isn’t,” agreed Hux, sidling up to them, “Nor that of a god such as _Susanoo_. An Emperor must not allow dissension.” He nodded his approval at Ben, but Rey didn’t like the smirk that shaped his face.

“Come,” Hux continued, ushering them back into the fray, “Next, we — oh, Phasma. You’ve come.”

Rey spun. Phasma glided forward, resplendent in black silk and accompanied by a man somehow even taller than her. Broad-chested and bearing eyes the color of chill, he hobbled toward them on a cane made of what looked like bone.

“I wouldn’t miss the opportunity to see my brother,” Phasma replied, “And introduce him to the Imperial couple.”

“Empress, this is Lady Phasma’s brother, Keldo. _Shugo_ of the Scyre province.”

Keldo bent at the waist but didn’t remove his eyes from either of them.

“A wasteland. Blackened and bruised; stinking and scorched by the sun,” said Keldo. His voice surprised Rey — she’d expected something that matched his words: rough and cracking, but they floated instead, like clouds across a summer sky.

“Now, now,” Hux said, tone as slick as oil, “Scyre is more than that. It’s an important province for mining obsidian.”

Keldo’s attention shifted from Ben and Rey to the _Shōgun_. He let the silence hang far too long to be comfortable.

“A precious resource,” he finally said. His eyes snapped back to Rey. “Like you, Empress.”

Rey didn’t need to look at Hux to _feel_ the cloying smile crowding his face fade; slipping away like steam in winter. He was too slow to respond, anyway — without another word, Keldo gave a curt nod, then turned and hobbled back the way he’d come.

Phasma, however, stayed put, still watching Rey. It wasn’t until Ben cleared his throat that she tore her gaze away.

“Forgive me on my brother’s behalf, _Tennō_ ,” Phasma said, “Keldo is…unfamiliar with the customs of the capital. I will speak to him.”

“Don’t,” Ben challenged her. “I’m sure the other _Shugo_ will benefit from his honesty—” his hand found the small of Rey’s back, “—however blunt.”

Phasma’s mouth drew into a harsh line.

“Let’s move on,” Ben grunted.

And so they did.

 

— — —

 

_“I hate this,” Ben grumbled._

_“You and me both,” Rey agreed, using two hands to fan herself._

_The palanquin was stuffy, bumpy, and too small. It was hard to believe the thing was meant for two people; Rey was practically sitting in Ben’s lap._

_Or, maybe he’d just grown too large._

_It was a hard thing not to notice — he’d always been gangling, but now, quickly approaching his 18th Name Day, hard muscle crowded her as well as long limbs. Her eyes kept trailing his exposed forearms: pale and taut next to her own._

_She supposed his training was going well._

_“Why do we have to do this?” she asked, sticking her face as far out of her little window as she dared. People watched them from the capital streets; despite her desire for fresh air, she didn’t want to draw their attention any more than the palanquin already had._

_“My mother.”_

_He said no more than that, but he didn’t need to. She knew what was expected of her — of both of them. She’d always known that one day she’d have to marry Ben._

_“I still don’t understand why we have to parade around in the palanquin, dressed in these ridiculous— ”_

_His hand settled over her forearm; in the heat of the day, it was even more stifling. His skin seemed to blaze like Amaterasu overhead. For a moment, she was thankful for the shade the palanquin granted them from the god’s eye._

_“Tradition,” he reasoned, “But I’m glad you’re with me, at least. I hate doing these things alone. When you’re here, at least I’ve got someone to talk to.”_

_Rey looked out of the window again. Her face felt even hotter; she needed a little more fresh air._

_“Me too.”_

 

— — —

 

It was a strange thing, but familiar, even with Hux hovering. After all, before him, there’d been Leia, though at least she’d been as genuine as any politician could be. Rey remembered the same small talk and barbed words of court when she’d just been Ben’s betrothed. Now, she was his wife…

And on the wrong side of this war.

Still, she remembered how to smile the way she had then: politely, silently. If not for Ben’s hand at her back — warm, steady, _still his_ — she might’ve wondered if this was what it would’ve been like at Snoke’s side.

The ghost of pale fingers played with her mind, and she shuddered.

“Your choice in wife is… intriguing,” drawled a _daimyō_ called Bane, flanked by his four brothers: Dai, Daa, Hika, and Haru. They’d shuffled to where all five men huddled together, shrouded in black robes with individual sigils on their breasts. They spoke in a low murmur that seemed to _thrum_ through Rey’s skin and into her blood.

While all of them were imposing, Bane was the most striking — black kohl, tattooed on his skin like tears, bled from amber eyes.   

“‘Intriguing’,” Ben repeated, tasting the word, “You’ll have to elaborate.”

His voice rumbled like thunder, disturbing the closest candle — a sharp contrast to Bane when he spoke again, silken and low and snake-like. When he chuckled, she could almost hear the hiss underneath.

“Equality is a lie,” Bane continued, eyes sweeping over Rey, “ _Iza_ was founded on this principle. And so I must surmise that you’ve taken Snoke’s tool for conquest.” His lips twitched in a close-lipped, almost smile. “There’s no other reason to seek a Skywalker than to breed your own heir, Ren. When the strong step forward, the weak have no choice but to follow.”

Fury and shame forced their way up Rey’s throat, but she let any words settle on her tongue, unsaid. Hux seemed to know better than to speak — when she looked at him, he ignored her, keeping his eyes on Ben.

Shadows flickered around his shoulders, silhouetted in the low light: undulating wisps of darkness that loomed, threatening to smother them.

She didn’t flinch at that.

It was the expression on his face that melted her fury away, replacing it with fear. If she thought about it, it made sense that he gravitated toward a mask — without it, everyone could see too much in his eyes.

Not now.

He didn’t need his _Somen_ to look the part of the _Oni_ ; the coldness in his gaze was enough.

“Have you ever seen fire so hot it burns blue?”

Bane’s brow furrowed. Around him, his brothers stilled. Like _Ryūjin_ devouring the tide, settling the sea to rest.

“It burns so hot that it bubbles and melts the flesh. Not like the sun. Not like _Amaterasu_. She smiles and we become little more than ash, swirling in the wind,” Ben continued, drawing out each word. “In _Asu_ , the _Ikkō-ikki_ bathe their prisoners of war in blue flame. When they do, they scream. It’s not a sound you can forget.”

“I fail to see what you intimate,” said Bane. Something sharp touched each word; jagged and fleeting, fingernails scrabbling for purchase.

A phantom of a smile played at Ben’s mouth.

“Only a fool underestimates that which he doesn’t understand.”

Bane’s lip curled into a sneer.

“For every fire they build, we will suffocate their ranks with shadowsmoke.” He turned to Rey. “The same as Snoke smothered _Shima_.”

The smell slapped her; just the _memory_ of it: black flames bearing down on her island, her _home_ , burning everyone alive.

If the screams of captured _Iza_ soldiers were hard to forget, then so was that smell.

She blinked. Bane was watching her, looking pleased he’d caught her off-guard.

“You’re mistaken,” she said. She spoke to Ben, but she didn’t let her glare waver from the _Shugo_.

“ _Amaterasu_ only smiles on those who deserve mercy,” she said, “Those who are evil don’t deserve a quick death. So she blinds them and burrows into their brain, burning away all memory. All thought. All soul. The Skywalkers are her hands.”

At that, she turned away from them, seeking refuge from the memory of the blackness that swallowed _Shima_ whole.

 

— — —

 

_When Rey woke, she couldn’t stop coughing, but she kept her eyes shut._

_Around her, the air was acrid. It coated her skin and her mouth; grimy, pungent, putrid._

_She couldn’t smell the sea. She could only taste death._

_“Is she alive?”_

_“Sakura,” someone whispered._

_Finally, she forced open her eyes._

 

— — —

 

“Your Majesty.”

Rey startled. She’d left the hall. She needed to see more than red, _endless_ red, and then all of that black she couldn’t forget…

She shook her head, then turned to her left to meet the stranger’s gaze. Unlike many of the others she’d met, this man sounded reverent, not condescending.

That didn’t make Rey any more comfortable.

“Apologies, Empress,” said the man, bowing low, “I only meant to greet you properly.” He kept his eyes down. She frowned.

“By all means, _Shugo_ …?”

“Kuni,” he replied, still not looking up, “of the Mito clan.”

Rey nodded slowly. She’d studied the clans and their _shugo_ with Phasma well enough to know this man by reputation, even if he appeared far more nondescript than the others she’d met. He was the one who’d ordered the destruction of hundreds of shrines to _Amaterasu_ across his province.

Even more strange for him to sound so awed.

“I thought you might thirst for light, Empress,” he murmured. “Forgive me, it is… I am remade, having watched you.”

“I… ” Rey trailed off. She didn’t know what to say. Trepidation twisted inside her stomach.

“Once,” he continued, “the world was in balance. _Amaterasu_ and her brother, _Tsukiyomi_ , opposites, but counterparts. Together, always, as equals. Until he who split the sky tore the world apart, giving us daylight that burns and night that bleeds.”

He paused, raising his gaze to hers, but just as he opened his mouth to continue, one of the doors to the hall slid open and Ben emerged. His eyes found hers immediately; a crease worrying the space between his brows.

“Rey.”

She turned to him, but her speech stuck to her lips. He crossed over to her in a few long strides, hands finding hers.

The faint smell of smoke prickled at her, but she pushed it away. She breathed Ben in instead.

Ben turned to Kuni.

“Thank you for entertaining the Empress,” he said stiffly, eyes roaming over the small man, who was still bent at the waist.

“ _Tennō_ — ”

Ben pulled her away from the warlord before he could continue, ushering her back into the hall. Most of the _daimyō_ had congregated near the center; closer to the refreshments.

“Are you all right?” Ben asked. He still held a hand in hers, the other stiff at his side.

“Fine,” she forced out, “I just… needed a moment.”

He looked like he wanted to say something else, but before he could, Hux sauntered over to them.

“Come. We have more to greet.”

 

— — —

 

They met and made niceties with more in a parade of foreign faces. Kura, of the Sune clan, who told stories of infiltrating and ministering to the people of _Asu_ under the cover of night; Toyo, a pale-faced, gray-eyed man who’d introduced legislation that outlawed anyone below the samurai class to bear arms; and Oda, of the Ōnin province, who called the war _unification_.

One man spoke less than even Keldo — Fett, a warlord from the far east who wouldn’t remove his _Somen_ , not even for the reception. He did no more than bow and rasp Ben’s title before slipping back into the crowd.

“Fett is a man of few words,” Hux explained after him. “A hunter.”

“Of what?” she asked.

Hux’s eyes gleamed. “The greatest game there is, Empress.”

“Criminals,” Ben muttered as they shuffled to the next group. “In Mandalore, they believe that the man who passes the sentence should swing the sword.” His lips twisted into something sour. “Fett… takes it further than even that.”

Revulsion rattled like a rung bell from her gut to her tongue, but again, she tamped it down. The hour was late, and the reception nearly over. Her patience was paramount. For Ben, she could wait. She was good at that.

But only for so long.

Thankfully, the next group was likely their last: made up of two men and two women — the only apart from herself and Phasma.

“Honorable _Shōgun_ , _Tennō_ ,” the first man said, bending at the waist. “Empress. It’s an honor to meet you at last.” He was younger than the others; handsome, with light hair and sky-blue eyes.

Ben stiffened.

“ _Shugos_ Casterfo and Rax— ” Hux indicated each man, “ —and the ladies Raeh and Carise.”

Rey inclined her head to each of them. The man, Rax, hardly held her attention — she’d met so many other middle-aged men that night their faces blurred together. By contrast, the women stood out: Raeh, strong-jawed and wild-haired, with eyes like smoldering coals. She was wrapped so tightly in her _kimono_ Rey wondered how she could breathe.

The other woman, Carise, was even more distinct: tall, beautiful, with skin and eyes of gold, she was younger than Raeh, not yet thirty. She smiled at Rey, but the smile didn’t reach her eyes.

“How does your husband fare, Lady Carise?” Ben asked.

“Still ill, I’m afraid,” Carise replied. Her words dripped like honey; saccharine and sticky. They made Rey want to scrub at her skin, especially when she caught how close the Lady Carise drew to Ben when she spoke.

“Carise is wed to _Shugo_ Birren, of Arkanis,” said Hux. “They produce the most moon grain per capita in the whole of _Iza_.”

“You honor us in his stead,” Ben said stiffly. His hand found the small of Rey’s back again and she pressed herself closer to him.

Carise’s smile spread like a snake uncoiling under an afternoon sun. Lazy. Dangerous.

“The honor is mine, _Tennō_ ,” she said through a smirk, “to see you take what is rightfully yours by _birthright_.”

“And mine,” Rey said. She let her voice carry; she’d said so little the entire night, but her patience had dwindled to a dying ember, and she didn’t have the energy to stoke it.

For a moment, none spoke until Hux surged forward, his own oily smile soaking up the strain.

“You might be interested to know, Empress, that you and Rax are both _Shima_ born.”

 _That_ made the man more interesting. Rey looked him over again; he bore no striking resemblance to any of her people apart from his eyes, as blue as the _Shima_ sea.

“I remember you, Princess,” Rax said. “From your youth. Before the monsoon.”

Grief clawed its way up Rey’s throat, rubbing it raw. She tried to swallow the pain so she could speak, but it only hurt worse.

“You were very young then,” Rax continued, “and your father and mother— ”

“Enough,” Ben commanded.

Hux eyed him, but he didn’t bother returning the attention. The single word stood on its own, like one man in front of an army.

“I only meant to pay my condolences, _Tennō_ ,” Rax said, lowering his head. Despite his claim, his tone suggested otherwise.

“I have heard great tales of _Shima_ in my province,” interjected the handsome one, Ransolm. “Riosa, in the Far East. On the other side of the world for you, Empress.” He smiled at her. “Sea-faring, industrious, loyal — all terms I’ve heard used to describe the people, and their chief. I am sorry for your loss.” His sincerity shone through the smile, and Rey’s grip on Ben slackened.

“Thank you,” she managed. He, too, inclined his head to her before turning to Ben.

“I thank you for your invitation, _Tennō_. My people will be pleased by this union, as will their representatives.”

The Lady Raeh stifled something that sounded like a snort, but Ransolm didn’t look at her. Lady Carise averted her eyes.

“Representatives.” The word that left Ben’s lips wasn’t a question.

“Yes,” Ransolm’s eyes brightened, “Something we’ve introduced in Riosa. The people elect constituents from their respective regions to form a council; I meet with them once every moon’s day, to hear their grievances, their needs. They are the true eyes and ears of my province.”

“And how has that fared?” Rey asked. Her arms fell away from Ben as she took a step closer.

“Well,” Ransolm said, sounding surprised despite himself, “Very well. We’ve reduced laborer hours and opened the trades to women of age. Thus far, we’ve seen better yields, and a boon to the economy, particularly in the larger settlements.”

“Putting your women to work only now,” scoffed Raeh, “Foolish. They’re well-suited for factories, at least in Ganthel. Their children, too. Small hands, Ransolm.”

Ransolm and Rey both frowned, though he had the grace to do so politely.

“The children of Riosa won’t participate until they can reasonably consent,” Ransolm replied. His frown was polite, but his voice was firm.

“Different methods of manufacturing,” Hux said, “for different provinces. Ganthel produces more ships, demanding harder labor of its men. A sound economic choice, to offer work to the rest of your men’s families, Lady Raeh. Your brother is wise.”

“Is he?” she asked, arching a brow. “Wise enough to send me in his place, perhaps.”

Hux chuckled. “Perhaps.”

“We’ve even seen more men volunteering to join the Imperial army, _Tennō_ ,” added Ransolm. “Productivity has risen, and so has recruitment.”   

“I see,” Ben said. Rey felt his fingers ghost along her wrist.

“Something to discuss, perhaps, after the War Council,” Hux said, smiling wanly at the _Shugo_. “Until then, we appreciate your enthusiasm, Casterfo.”

Rey expected Ben to interject; to ask to hear more, but he didn’t. Instead, he nodded a jerky farewell to the four _daimyō_ before taking her hand and pulling her away without another word.

 

— — —

 

Ben didn’t let go of her hand, even once they were safely back in their suite.

Alone. Together.

She should’ve felt tired. She’d been struggling to stay awake just a few minutes ago, but all manner of things writhed inside her now, _kami_ unsettling her stomach: fear, disappointment, anger. Even hope.

She needed time to untangle it all, but Ben was still holding her hand. They’d barely made it past the doors.

“That was abrupt,” she commented.

His fingers encircled her wrist, pulling her closer to him, and his other hand found her waist.

“You looked tired.”

“Did I?” she asked. He nodded, and the fingers around her wrist found her jaw, brushing the bone with a thumb. Pleasure poured through her; another thing added to the snarl.

“ _I_ was tired. Tired of them all. Especially Casterfo.”

Rey’s face fell.

“Don’t tell me you liked him,” Ben said. The words were edged with something she recognized; in a blink, the memory blurred in front of her: him on his Name Day, newly crowned and green with envy at the attention she’d gotten from Cassian and Mitaka.

“He’s the only one who seemed to care at all about the _Iza_ people,” she said. “Or any people, for that matter.”

Ben’s fingers fell away from her cheek, but he didn’t let go of her waist.

“He’s an idealist,” he grumbled, “new to rule, and naive. He wouldn’t have dared create a council under Snoke.”

Rey took a step back, forcing his hand to fall back to his side.

“You’re jealous.”

A muscle jumped in Ben’s cheek.

“I didn’t like the way he looked at you.”

“You know why I was interested in what he had to say. He seeks change,” Rey challenged, frown deepening. “What happened to letting the past die?”

She watched the turmoil tighten every line of his face: wrinkling his forehead, twitching at his eye, worrying his mouth. She watched that most. No shadows swirled around him. It was just them, now.

He started to reply—

So she pressed a finger to his lips, then cupped his face in her hands. As always, she was struck by how small they looked on his skin.

“I _am_ tired,” she whispered, “Until tomorrow?”

He pressed his forehead to hers, dragging in a deep breath.

“Until tomorrow.”

She could wait just a little longer.

 

— — —

 

“Would you… would you want to go for a walk?”

Finn looked up from his tea. He’d been watching the steam stretch up into the sky — for some reason, he was having a hard time looking at Rose.

Perhaps it was because she’d removed so much of her veil. He’d been surprised when she’d greeted him, face uncovered.

She had a button nose. Rosy cheeks surrounded a tentative smile, and he could see some of her hair, shining and dark, spilling out onto her neck…

He’d forced himself to stop staring. He kept catching himself looking at her lips.

“A walk?” he asked. He gulped down the rest of his tea, scalding his throat in the process, and had to bite back a cough.

This was his chance to get her alone — to walk her home. To see the best way into the _Shiro_ , of course. Just a chance for good intel; nothing else exciting about it.

Nothing at all.

“Sure,” he said, massaging his throat. He set down his cup. “I’d hate for you to have to walk home by yourself.”

Rose smiled again. This time, he had to look at her.

He smiled back.

She was quiet as they walked toward the palace. _Tsukiyomi_ hid half his face, providing only a sliver of light in the darkness. He kept his distance, afraid of bumping into her.

“So, do you— ”

A hand jerked him to the side, and he tried to cry out, but the darkness swallowed him before he could scream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> || NOTES  
>  
> 
>  _Oni_ — A demon spirit in Japan.
> 
>  _Shugo_ — A title, commonly translated as "(military) governor", "protector" or "constable", given to certain officials in feudal Japan. They were each appointed by the _Shōgun_ to oversee one or more of the provinces. In the context of this story, I’m seeing them as the sort of head _daimyō_ and also inspired by the Moffs in Star Wars.
> 
>  _Ryūjin_ — The Japanese dragon god of sea and storms.
> 
>  _Susanoo_ — The Shinto god of the sea and storms.
> 
>  _Ikkō-ikki_ — In history, they were Jodo-Shinshu Buddhist warriors in feudal Japan who believed in salvation for all humanity. For the purpose of this story, they are the closest thing resembling the Jedi, aka the Skywalkers.
> 
>  _Kami_ — The spirits or phenomena that are worshipped in the religion of Shinto.
> 
>  _ **Some notes on all these warlords...**_  
>  Those from Star Wars canon include Thrawn, Mas Amedda, Tarkin (all featured last chapter), Phasma’s brother, Keldo, Darth Bane as Bane, Gallius Rax as Rax, Rae Sloane (name modified because it’s so close to Rey’s), Boba Fett, Carise Sindian and Ransolm Casterfo. If you’re interested in learning more about any of these characters, I highly recommend reading up on them on Wookieepedia and/or checking out the extended content they’re featured in, in particular, _Bloodline_ , Leia’s novel (featuring Ransolm and Carise).
> 
> The other warlords are all inspired by real feudal lords in Japan, including Bane’s brothers. Their personalities and deeds were heavily influenced by their real-life tenures ruling over different areas of Japan. Again, if you’re interested in learning more, let me know. Happy to share.  
>  
> 
> ||  
>  
> 
> What do you think? Who nabbed Finn? How will Rey fare during the War Council? I'd love to hear any feedback in a comment or feel free to share your thoughts on [Tumblr](http://rebelrebelreylo.tumblr.com/) or [Twitter](https://twitter.com/rebelrebelreylo) @rebelrebelreylo. Again, thank you for reading! ❤️
> 
> Check out the playlist for this fic [here](https://open.spotify.com/user/jct1dm8alp830w7tcgg635ujj/playlist/02POQ0A4nSLOghKF22AUjh).
> 
> Finally, if you're enjoying this story and want to get email notifications when it's updated, please feel free to hit that Subscribe button! Thanks again, everyone. 😊


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